There is nothing in all of American sport quite like baseball's spring training. This annual six-week ritual, whose origins date back nearly a century and a half, fires the hearts and imaginations of fans who flock by the hundreds of thousands to places like Dodgertown to glimpse superstars and living legends in a relaxed moment and watch the drama of journeyman veterans and starry-eyed kids in search of that last spot on the bench. In Under the March Sun, Charles Fountain recounts for the first time the full and fascinating history of spring training and its growth from a shoestring-budget roadtrip to burn off winter calories into a billion-dollar-a-year business. In the early days southern hotels only reluctantly admitted ballplayers--and only if they agreed not to mingle with other guests. Today cities fight for teams by spending millions in public money to build ever-more-elaborate spring-training stadiums. In the early years of the 20th century, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Al Lang, first realized that coverage in northern newspapers every spring was publicity his growing city could never afford to buy. As the book demonstrates, cities have been following Lang's lead ever since, building identities and economies through the media exposure and visitors that spring training brings. An entertaining cultural history that taps into the romance of baseball even as it reveals its more hard-nosed commercial machinations, Under the March Sun shows why spring training draws so many fans southward every March. While the prices may be growing and the intimacy and accessibility shrinking, they come because the sunshine and sense of hope are timeless.

About the Author
Charles Fountain teaches journalism at Northeastern University. He has worked as a sports reporter and is the author of Sportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice (Oxford, 1993). He lives with his wife, Cathy, in Duxbury, Massachusetts.

Reviews
Charles Fountain has captured the importance of spring training in baseball with Under the March Sun. I commend him for bringing to life this most enjoyable time of year for every baseball fan. * Peter O'Malley, President, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1970-98 *
Where has this book been? Why has no one written it before? The poetry has oozed out of Florida and Arizona every February and March forever, rhapsodies about rebirth and sunscreen and the virtues of watching major-league ballplayers up-close while wearing a good pair of Bermuda shorts, but no one has chronicled the nuts, bolts and civic intrigues associated with baseball's spring training. Not the way Chuck Fountain has. Terrific stuff. * Leigh Montville, author of Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero and The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth. *
Definitive, fascinating, a ground breaking cultural and sports history of spring training from humble origins to mega million status today. A winner!"-Harvey Frommer, author of Remembering Yankee Stadium, and Red Sox vs. Yankees: The Great Rivalry.



Book Information
ISBN 9780195372038
Author Charles Fountain
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 617g
Dimensions(mm) 243mm * 165mm * 25mm