The New York Leisure Economy and the Business of Baseball
Babe Ruth
The development of an enormous middle class in areas such as the Grand Concourse in the Bronx contributed to the growth of the leisure economy in New York City after World War I. With the subways system reaching destinations such as Coney Island in Brooklyn and accessible beaches and parks becoming an expectation of New Yorkers, the 1920s became an era of mass entertainment. From this point on, the economy of New York City became in large part based on the entertainment and leisure industries. The business of baseball was dependent upon the middle class who were the force behind these industries. It is no coincidence that Yankee Stadium, the first true baseball stadium, and home of the biggest celebrity of the times, Babe Ruth, was built during the Roaring Twenties, the beginning of New York's emergence as the entertainment capital of the country and the world. Yankee Stadium was the grandest structure in the Major Leagues. It was the first not to be referred to as a "park" or "grounds" or some other designation.(1) The word "stadium" implied a grander, more urban structure. Yankee Stadium immediately came to be known as the premier location for baseball, symbolizing the burgeoning American entertainment industry, which New York City would come to dominate.
Coney Island
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1 Reiss, p. 130.