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In 1889 a significant event in Australia’s sporting history took place with a baseball tour organized by American Albert Goodwill Spalding. The tour involved a series of exhibtion matches in Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat and Adelaide between the Chicago White Sox of which Spalding was president of and an American All Stars team. Although baseball in Australia effectively began with this tour it was not completely unknown to the public as it was played by American diggers on Victoria’s goldfields in the 1850’s and Americans living in Sydney around 1880 played games on Saturday afternoons in Moore Park. However the Spalding tour was a significant event in Australian history as it provided the nation with a greater interest in the sport of baseball, helped launch the Spalding sporting brand, challenged the popularity of cricket and in general it promoted America to Australia.
Prior to his tour of Australia, Albert Spalding was a top class baseball pitcher, making his debut at age 22 for the Boston Red Stockings and later the Chicago White Sox playing a total of 301 games earning him a place in baseballs hall of fame. In 1876 with a capital of $800 he created Spalding sporting goods with his brother and not only did they manufacture baseball products and apparel but also tennis, golf, American Football and later basketball becoming a multinational business.
The Spalding tour began on October 20, 1888 soon after the close of the American baseball season. In total there were 22 players, at least 2 journalists, a cricket coach, a manager and 2 others to assist Spalding, Spaldings mother, 5 wealthy travelers and 2 special attractions Clarence Duval, the tour mascot and Professor Bartholomew a balloonist and parachutist who added to the crowd appeal. The party departed Chicago bound for San Francisco by train with banners attatched reading ‘Spaldings Australian baseball tour’. ...
Upon their arrival the touring party was warmly welcomed into Australia by Daniel O’Connor who was a well known Irish born politician in Sydney at the time who said that ‘Australia followed British sports while America had produced its distinctive national pastimes of baseball and trotting. ... In reply Spalding echoed O’Connor’s words of their similarities and backgrounds saying ‘While England preferred cricket and America baseball there was nothing very dissimilar in the games, both required skill and patience and above all discipline was necessary for success’, concluding ‘whether they were cricketers or baseballers they could not forget ‘the old land’ from which they had sprung’ (Mitchell, p.
Approximate Word count = 2052
Approximate Pages = 8.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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