The Faith of Fifty Million People (20 Sep. 1994)

The third episode of the series covers the period 1910-20. In this decade, the game went from it's zenith in popularity to the depths of betrayal and fan disillusionment. Ty Cobb dominated ... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Burns

Writers:

Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns

Stars:

Adam Arkin, Red Barber, Keith Carradine

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Adam Arkin	...	Himself (voice)
Red Barber	...	Himself
Keith Carradine	...	Himself (voice)
John Chancellor	...	Narrator (voice)
John Cusack	...	Himself (voice)
Ossie Davis	...	Himself (voice)
Shelby Foote	...	Himself
Doris Kearns Goodwin	...	Herself
Donald Hall	...	Himself
Walter Johnson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Garrison Keillor	...	Himself (voice)
Alan King	...	Himself (voice)
Connie Mack	...	Himself (archive footage)
Amy Madigan	...	Herself (voice)
Charles McDowell	...	Himself (as Charley McDowell)

Storyline

The third episode of the series covers the period 1910-20. In this decade, the game went from it's zenith in popularity to the depths of betrayal and fan disillusionment. Ty Cobb dominated the game but was hated by virtually everyone in baseball, including his own teammates. He was racist and brutal, once beating up a handicapped fan who was heckling him. After another similar incident, American League President Bam Johnson suspended him indefinitely. He also became baseball's richest player thanks to a wise investment in a company called Coca Cola. The first Latin Americans, Cubans, were signed to play ball but African Americans were still barred. It was also a time when some of the great baseball fields were built, including Fenway Park in 1912 and Ebbets Field in Brooklyn in 1913. Players were concerned about their own situation vis-a-vis the owners - the reserve clause and the lack of pensions or other benefits led them to create a players fraternity. It was the new Federal League...

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Sport

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Details

Release Date:

20 September 1994 (USA)

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Dark Was the Night"
Written & performed by Blind Willie Johnson
Courtesy of Sony Music

User Reviews

Toughest Decade Marred By 'Black Sox Scandal'

This segment, covering the decade 1910-1919, continues with some fascinating characters such as Ty Cobb, Connie Mack, John McGraw, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Judge Kenesaw "Mountain" Landis and more in an era where Americans went absolutely bonkers over baseball.

The players were at their toughest during this period as wages were very poor and the game was "life and death" to many players. It was rough, rugged era, and the opposite of today where players make ridiculous amounts of money. This owner-dominated era led to some desperate players trying to make some easy cash (see below.)

The decade ends on the lowest note in baseball history: the "Black Sox Scandal," involving the Chicago White Sox throwing the 1919 World Series. The last half hour of this segment is devoted to that topic. Of particular interest were the comments on "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Commissioner Landis, I thought.