Title/Author:
“Babe Ruth: A
Superstar’s Legacy” by Jerry Amernic
Tags:
Baseball, Professional, business
Publish date:
March 9, 2018
Length:
296 pages
Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
With so many books written about one
of the most influential athletes in American sports history, it is hard to find
new material about Babe Ruth. However, this
book by Jerry Amernic which covers the legacy and marketing of Babe Ruth,
which is still going strong more than 70 years after his death, is one for
reader who are craving new information on the Bambino.
This book certainly cannot be considered
a biography as there is very little coverage of Ruth’s entire life. Of course, that information needs to be at
least mentioned at times to convey the message that Amernic is telling
throughout the book, but Ruth’s personal life and his baseball career take a
back seat to the fascinating world of how his legend grew and stays strong
today. How strong? The students in a current college course all know who Babe
Ruth is and what he accomplished save for one student – and he is an exchange
student from Nigeria. This story is used to illustrate just how large the man’s
legacy still is today.
That legacy grew because of two aspects
of Ruth’s personality that are discussed several times in the book by so many
people who knew him. They are his genuine compassion for others and his special
fondness for children. Stories are shared by so many, from former teammates and
business associates to his daughter Julia Ruth Stevens. Even though Julia was technically Babe’s
stepdaughter, as she was the daughter of wife Claire from a previous marriage,
she held Babe close to her heart and still does at 98. She plays a prominent role in this book, popping
up several times to make appearances at special events such as awarding the
Babe Ruth Home Run award at Yankee Stadium in 2008.
One other aspect of Ruth’s trait
noted in the book that should be mentioned is his progressive views on racial
integration in baseball. While it is known he did barnstorming tours with black
players and one in Japan, what is interesting to learn here is a baseball historian’s
perspective is that Ruth never got to be a manager in the major leagues because
of this position. With the color barrier still in force when he retired as a
player in 1935, it was well-known that he wanted to manage a team, but was
never given the chance. The supporting documentation for this historian’s belief
was very interesting reading.
Even with all of this positive information
on Ruth, what really makes this book stand out is the sheer amount of money and
reverence his name brings whenever it is mentioned in the marketing world, especially
sports memorabilia. A very interesting fact
from the book a reader will learn is that of the 15 most expensive sports
memorabilia items ever sold, seven of them are related to Ruth. That includes a
Yankees jersey worn by Ruth in 1920 that sold for $4.4 million in 2012. Charlie
Sheen is mentioned as he made a nice profit selling Ruth items. It is noted
that his signature is one of the most sought after not only in terms of
dollars, but also because it is very recognizable and legible. Also noteworthy is the questionable reason
that the Curtiss Candy Company denied that Ruth was the genesis of it’s naming
of the Baby Ruth candy bar as Amernic puts doubt in the claim that the name
came from President Grover Cleveland’s daughter.
Publishing a book on Babe Ruth that
contains a lot of original material that hasn’t already been published in other
books on him takes a lot of work, research and some excellent writing and Amernic
pulls it off with this one. It is a fascinating
look at the legend and business of Babe Ruth and anyone with any interest in
him, whether a baseball fan or not, should read this book.
I wish to thank Mr. Amernic for
providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Paperback
Buying Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment