On May 27, 1933 the Century of Progress International Exposition, better known as the Chicago World’s Fair, opened in the Windy City. The overarching theme of the expo was the scientific and technological developments of the day. Even the opening ceremonies tied in with this premise, with the lights of the fair turned on by focusing starlight onto photoelectric cells.
Sometime leading up to the expo, Chicago mayor Ed Kelly began thinking about the value of adding some sort of sporting event to the long list of fair activities. Several weeks before the expo opened, Kelly passed these thoughts on to Robert McCormick, editor of the Chicago Tribune. McCormick liked the idea and shared it with sports editors Arch Ward, who responded positively.
Arch Ward, Newspaper Editor and Master Promoter
Arch Ward was born December 27, 1896 in Irwin, Illinois. He enjoyed following sports and was a White Sox fan in his youth. However, he had little athletic ability and so decided to become a sportswriter, starting his career as a sports editor for the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald.
After a two-year stint doing PR at Notre Dame, he then became sports editor at the Rockford Morning Star before landing at the Chicago Tribune in January 1925. By 1933 he was elevated to the position of sports editor, a position he relished because it allowed him to not only write about, but also promote, events.
In addition to fathering baseball’s All-Star game, Ward also created the College All-Star game, which lasted for 40 years, the Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament, and the All-American Football Conference, a short-lived professional football league that included future NFL teams San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns.
When McCormick talked to Ward about a sporting event for the Chicago Fair, Ward immediately conceived of a baseball game featuring the top players in the game. At the time, the National and American League each consisted of eight teams. However, this was well before interleague play so the only time fans could see players from both leagues play in the same game was during the World Series. Ward’s idea would not only showcase both National and American League players in the same match-up, but also the top stars.
Ward Garners Support for Baseball All-Star Game
Ward’s idea of an all-star game was not new. For instance, on July 24, 1911 players from the Cleveland Naps (today’s Indians) took on the top stars of other major league teams in a benefit game for the family of popular Cleveland pitcher Addie Joss, who tragically died from tubercular meningitis earlier that spring.
Several years later F.C. Lane, editor of Baseball Magazine, suggested major league baseball initiate an all-star week following July 4th, during which a series of games would be played, rotating between several cities. However, his idea fell on deaf ears and the plan faded away.
Ward’s plan for the World’s Fair event was to produce a one-time match-up, which he soon called the “Game of the Century”. It would be played in Chicago on July 6, an off day for all 16 major league teams. After securing McCormick’s endorsement for the game, Ward then talked to National League president John Heydler and his American League counterpart Will Harridge, who shared the idea with team owners.
While most parties embraced the idea, some objected on grounds of possible financial loss, rain-out, and difficulty of scheduling. Ward responded with the promise that the Tribune would cover any losses incurred, an agreement he was not qualified to give and which only later he sheepishly shared with his boss McCormick.
Ward and his supporters politicked and eventually converted the naysayer owners; Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis then signed off on the plan.
Chicago Hosts Baseball’s First All-Star Game in 1933
With the support of major league baseball secured, Ward then announced the game to the public on May 19 in a column, the start of a rigorous campaign to promote the game. The players would be selected by fan voting, a process that Ward oversaw. The Tribune and more than 50 other newspapers around the country printed a total of 8 million ballots, of which 550,000 were filled out and turned in. Ward regularly announced voting results, continuing to build interest in the contest.
Of the 18 players from each league chosen, Al Simmons of the White Sox garnered the most votes with 346,291. Babe Ruth, on the downside of his career but still very popular, finished with 320,518 votes. Connie Mack managed the American League and John McGraw the National, and at least one player was selected from each major league club.
The Tribune and other publications offered various prizes to fans and proceeds of the game went to charity. Organizers kept seating prices low in response to the Depression, with box seats at $1.65, grandstands at $1.10 and bleachers $0.55).
On May 26 baseball officials held a coin flip in Commissioner Landis’ Chicago office to determine whether the game would be played at the Cubs’ Wrigley Field or White Sox’ Comiskey Park. Comiskey won the day, ideal because it had a larger seating capacity.
Ward also kept track of ticket sales, announcing that residents of 46 of the then 48 states bought tickets. In game that lasted 2:05, 47,595 fans saw Babe Ruth hit a two-run home on the way to a 4-2 American League victory.
The game proved a resounding success and baseball officials immediately modified Ward’s concept of a one-time event, realizing that an annual showcase of stars had merit and would remain popular with fans and players alike.
Sources
Freedman, Lew. 2010The Day All the Stars Came Out. McFarland & Company.
Kevin Schindler - I have worked at scientific institutions for more than 20 years written more than 200 articles about science, history, and baseball.
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