OLLI101812 - Baseball and American Culture

Course Description

Instructor: John Lord

Day of Week: Wednesday

Dates: Sept. 23, Oct. 7, Oct. 21, Nov. 4, Nov. 18, & Dec. 2 (6 sessions)

Time: 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Location: In-person at Ambler

More than any other sport, baseball is inextricably linked to American history and culture. Baseball has grown alongside America. Baseball became organized in the early 19th century and by the late 1850s was already considered America’s “National Game.” It became a professional sport in the 1870s and has grown into a multibillion-dollar enterprise. This course will examine how law, labor relations, economics, organizational structure, race relations, war, gender and social change have impacted and been impacted by baseball.

Instructor Bio: John Lord earned a BS from Saint Joseph’s College in 1971, an MBA from Drexel University in 1975 and a PhD in business administration from Temple University in 1985. For 50 years, he served Saint Joseph’s University as a faculty member, dean of the business school and department chair. He helped launch the university’s sports marketing program in 2007 and continued teaching part time until December 2025. Lord maintains a longstanding interest in baseball as a player, coach, fan, teacher and author.