The game of baseball was an integral part of life in 20th-century America. The relation baseball had with its fans, though, evolved as the game moved from quiet pastime to a multibillion dollar business. As the presented evidence will suggest, consumer demand at the close of the 20th century was less about loyalty to ‘our team’ and more about winning. Possible explanations for this trend are greater competition, labor-management strife, free agency, and a general change in the focus of sports away from simple quiet pastimes to one of profit-maximizing business.
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