"Rather than as a Falstaffian figure of limited intellect, Edmund Wehrle reveals Babe Ruth as an ambitious, independent operator, one not afraid to challenge baseball's draconian labor system. To the baseball establishment, Ruth's immense popularity represented opportunity, but his rebelliousness and potential to overturn the status quo presented a threat. After a decades-long campaign waged by baseball to contain and discredit him, the Babe, frustrated and struggling with injuries and illness, grew moreacquiescent, but the image of Ruth that baseball perpetuated still informs how many people remember him to this day. This new perspective, approaching Ruth more seriously and placing his life in fuller context, is long overdue"-- Provided by publisher.

"This book project turns on its head popular memories of Babe Ruth--perhaps the most influential sports figure of the past century. Virtually every biographical treatment depicts Ruth the same way: a man tall on athletic talent and personality--yet shorton intellectual acumen and good sense. This perception results directly from a two-decade war waged against Ruth by major league baseball. Burdened by labor strife, challenges from "outlaw" leagues, gambling, and violence on and off the field, the baseball establishment pined for stability and profitability as it dragged itself out of the World War I era. Beginning in 1920, Babe Ruth emerged the singular answer to baseball's afflictions: a player so popular and thrilling that he drove up profits and interest in the game around the country--diverting attention from the serious problems plaguing baseball. In Ruth, however, the game's leadership class found a problematic savior. The Babe's independent streak, his volatile (although quick passing) temper, hisassertiveness, and his obvious sympathy for player rights deeply unnerved management. Thus began an organized campaign both to exploit and to contain the superstar"-- Provided by publisher.