What is it about?
Amateur baseball leagues in steel mills, shipyards, and factories flourished during WWI, as professional circuits either closed or ended their seasons early. War workers were exempt from the army draft. Many major and minor league players joined the rosters of the industrial teams.
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Why is it important?
"Paint and putty" baseball provoked controversy and debate about the nature of sports for civilians and the responsibilities, if any, of athletes as role models and public figures during wartime.
Perspectives
I hope this article about a little-known aspect of baseball history helps readers to appreciate and understand the pressures and difficult decisions draft-age Americans faced during times of conflict.
Jim Leeke
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The "Paint and Putty" Leagues: Industrial Baseball during World War I, NINE A Journal of Baseball History and Culture, January 2018, Project Muse,
DOI: 10.1353/nin.2018.0002.
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