Review of Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball, by John Helyar

John Helyar’s Lords of the Realm; The Real History of Baseball is a fascinating book that every baseball fan should take in. Helyar gives a concise look at the real reasons why Major League Baseball has become the big business that it is today, and a definitive glimpse at where America's pastime is likely to head in the coming years. He does it with comic relief in describing baseball’s most famous or infamous characters. From Babe Ruth to Fay Vincent, Helyar takes the reader through a historical account of how the owners and players have fought over everything from salary arbitration to revenue sharing. His fan’s perspective on the games turn to big business makes the reading both enjoyable and beneficial. 

Helyar begins the historical account of Major League Baseball by looking back at how professional baseball started back in 1871, when the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was formed. From that date Helyar describes how the owners of professional sports teams treated players and the game itself. During baseball’s beginning, owners saw the players on his team as any other business owner would – an employee. The players were employed to play a game, and they should only be so lucky. This attitude resulted in players being forced to sign contracts that put the players in the same tax bracket as many poor Americans. The players needed to stand up for themselves and demand better pay, especially for the average player. A union of professional baseball players would not emerge, however, until 1960’s.