In 1890 more than 40 percent of Chicagoans were foreign-born, and another 36.9 percent were children of immigrants. Many tried to retain their ethnic traditions, favoring their own music, theater, and religion. When Northeastern Illinois University history professor Steven Riess set out to study the leisure activities of this period in urban America, he found the saloon was second only to the church as the most important social institution in ethnic neighborhoods. But when Riess turned his attention to athletics, he discovered that sports were a great assimilating force. “An Irish saloon was unique in its ambience and clientele, but there was no such thing as Irish baseball,” he says. “Baseball was simply baseball.”
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Riess says athletics ultimately benefited all newcomers. “One of the original purposes was to have a good time and gain prowess. But sports provided wholesome activities for young and old. Participation on a team has the potential for teaching respect for authority.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Wallace Kirkland Papers, Jane Addams Memorial Collection, Special Collections, University Library, University of Illinois at Chicago.
