During the first world war, Americans across society were expected to contribute. And that included baseball’s biggest stars
Great Bambino … Sultan of Swat … steelworker?
Yes, Babe Ruth, the man who would hit 714 home runs in Major League Baseball had a stint as a steelworker early in his career. Why the move to working for Bethlehem Steel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania? The career change was a result of a US government directive during the first world war called the Work-or-Fight Order: Eligible men had to either register for the draft or find essential work – such as at a steel mill. But there was a loophole for Major Leaguers like Ruth. Bethlehem Steel had its own baseball league and was all too happy to hire professional athletes, ostensibly for war-related jobs but actually to enhance its league’s competitiveness. This story rises from obscurity in a book published earlier this year – Work, Fight, or Play Ball, by Pennsylvania-based journalist William Ecenbarger.
