Mercer Times

The start of spring marks the beginning of the Major League Baseball season, a time eagerly anticipated by fans and players alike. Craig Hollander, a history professor at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), leverages this enthusiasm in his course "Baseball in American History." This course uses baseball as a framework to explore various aspects of American history, including labor movements, urbanization, immigration, gender equality, and civil rights.

Professor Hollander explained that baseball offers "an astonishingly clear lens for examining American history because the game evolved during the country’s formative years and then matured alongside sweeping societal changes during the ensuing centuries." He noted that students initially focus on topics such as urbanization and organized labor before delving into more complex issues like racial, ethnic, and gender prejudice.

In discussing gender dynamics within sports, Hollander remarked on why women were historically discouraged from playing baseball: "We read about why women — despite their obvious interest in baseball — were discouraged from playing the game and ultimately relegated to softball."

While some students are avid baseball fans, most do not closely follow the sport. Hollander emphasized that this is acceptable since "this is a serious history course," requiring extensive reading, writing, research, and discussion. Baseball serves merely as an engaging medium to facilitate learning.

Hollander also touched upon football's dominance in American sports culture due to its television appeal and gambling influences but maintained that both sports have their place: "I don’t think baseball and football are in competition with one another. They both have their place."

Reflecting on recent observations from spring training where he visited his brother Brett Hollander—a broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles—Craig Hollander shared insights on promising teams for the upcoming season. He mentioned several strong contenders: "The Orioles looked great...the Braves also looked formidable...don’t sleep on the Phillies, Astros, Rays, and Rangers."