Past [Im]Perfect

The sport had gained status and acceptability among all social groups. To be identified as a professional baseball player conveyed automatic status and social acceptability. Achievement in baseball was unambiguous. The game, with its rich traditions and history of baseball heroes, provided a sense of continuity and stability in a rapidly changing and uncertain society. Baseball stars were better known than major politicians and corporate magnates. Only Hollywood stars competed with them for celebrity status. Professional baseball is one of the major businesses in the United States today. The business end of baseball serves as a model for business in society, and reflects the power and control that exists in the business world. Wealth and power are associated with baseball just as with any business. Like any American business, the public is absent from the decision-making process.