{"title":"Thomas W. Gilbert","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThomas W. Gilbert\u003c\/strong\u003e explores the rich history and cultural significance of sports with a particular focus on baseball. His works combine in-depth research with engaging storytelling, offering fresh insights into the games and their evolution over time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thoughtful narratives that illuminate how sports shape and reflect society, making Gilbert's books essential for those interested in the broader impact of athletic pursuits beyond the field.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"how-baseball-happened-by-thomas-w-gilbert-9781567927238","title":"How Baseball Happened","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A brilliant new approach to our game and its author tells a hundred stories you haven't heard before. It is my honour to invite you to enter into his world.\" - John Thorn, Official Historian, Major League Baseball\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHere's the fascinating origin story of baseball, where America's first sport came from and how it conquered a nation. Baseball's true founders were the thousands of amateurs - ordinary people - who played without gloves, facemasks or performance incentives in the middle decades of the 19th century. Unlike today's pro athletes, they lived full lives outside of sports. They practised professions, built businesses, and fought in the Civil War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBaseball was originally supposed to be played, not watched. This changed when crowds began to show up at games in Brooklyn in the late 1850s. We fans weren't invited to the party; we crashed it. Professionalism wasn't part of the plan either, but when an 1858 Brooklyn versus New York City series accidentally proved that people would pay to see baseball, the writing was on the outfield wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the first professional league was formed in 1871, baseball was already a fully formed modern sport with championships, media coverage and famous stars. Professional baseball invented itself, but not the sport of baseball. Baseball's amazing amateurs had already done that. If you love history and sports, you'll love their story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47596601180396,"sku":"9781567927238","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781567927238-how-baseball-happened.jpg?v=1777932280"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/thomas-w-gilbert.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}