Learning American History Play By Play

“If the history of the United Since since the 19th century is a quilt, then the game of baseball would be a thread that runs throughout the fabric.”

Buy Baseball: The New York Game

Speaker

Tony Morante has been speaking publicly as a tour guide and as an educator for middle schools, and universities for nearly a half-century. His program evolves around baseball’s evolution paralleling US history.

Author

As an author, Tony has taken his program into book form, BASEBALL: The New York Game – How the National Pastime Paralleled US History, as an alternative adjunct to the school’s curriculum.

Giving Back

Proceeds benefit the Bronx County Historical Society, designing programs that further social studies education through outside the classroom activities.

Bringing the love of baseball to the American youth

Tony Morante

With over half a century of developing entertaining tours and educational programs at Yankee Stadium, I aim to educate students on how baseball parallels American History.

Throughout middle schools across the country, students are learning about the extensive history of America, but often without truly understanding the heart and mind of that history that comes with understanding the history of baseball. Baseball is an integral component of why the soul of America has grown to be what it is today.

Baseball: The New York Game

Baseball has been a staple in the lives and memories of more Americans than any other sport, from the way that it has encompassed the development of the American ways of living, to the ways that it has impacted our history as a country.

Students learn best when there’s an interest in the subject being taught. Throughout the years of being immersed in the life and love of baseball and having the opportunity of teaching the great subject through educational programs, I have seen the combination of the national pastime and American history storytelling influence students’ interest in the subjects in great ways.

In 2014, the National Assessment for Educational Progress stated that only 18% of our eighth-grade students were proficient in Social Studies. It was alarming to realize that 82% of our youngsters were at risk. So, I designed a program that would help those struggling students understand American history through the eyes of baseball. Around this time, Fordham University invited this Fordham alum to bring the program to a higher level. In retirement from the Yankees, and not wanting to abandon the program, I wrote a book, “BASEBALL The New York Game–How the National Pastime Paralleled U.S. History,” published in 2021.” I am now working closely with the decision-makers of our educational process through LinkedIn and Facebook to assist the students in their academic progress.

What You WIll Learn

How the game grew through the post-revolutionary war period through commercialization, industrialization, and urbanization.
How the rules of baseball, laid down in 1845 (many of which are still part of today’s game), became the bedrock of the game.
How the game expanded through Manifest Destiny, the Gold Rush, and the Civil War period, to become the “National Pastime” by the mid-19th century.
How gambling, which escalated into corruption, played an important part in the early stages of its development.

How baseball during the Reconstruction Era helped unify the country, but it opened the door to segregation.
How baseball magnates paralleled the “robber barons” during the Progressive Era, and how Tammany Hall, the most corrupt political organization in New York City history, played an important part as the game moved into the 20th century.
How World Wars I and II tested the resilience of the game.
How dramatically, in the aftermath of the attacks on our nation on 9/11, brought the development of the game into the 21st century.

See What People Are Saying

Tony is a student of ours at Evyrgreen, and thanks to this, I have had the pleasure of getting to know him the last few months. Tony blows me away with his knowledge of American history and I am so impressed by the way he can make something that I’ve always struggled to understand make sense, through the stories of events in America’s baseball history.

Bringing this curriculum to the classroom as an alternate program would offer a learning opportunity for students that otherwise may not connect with history lessons. Tony is a true pioneer of finding ways to assist America’s students towards their educational progress!

—Sam Bergdahl

If the history of the United States since the early 19th century is a quilt, then the game of baseball would be the thread that runs throughout the fabric. Much of the ebb and flow of America is mirrored by those of the great game.”

—Michael Kay

This book is an educational, entertaining, and easy read, filled with vintage illustrations and photos, and an extravaganza of facts, figures, and stories that will both inform and delight baseball fans of all ages.

—Todd Cherches

This is a book that should be read by every true baseball fan. It is an easy read that captivates your attention. All through the book you become involved with the story and history of the game, but Tony relates it to you on a very close and personal level until you stand with him on the baseball fields of today!
—Karl Hughes

Tony Morante illustrates how baseball, the perfect game, became the background music of America in our dream repository.

—Ed Randall

I invite you to take Tony’s latest and greatest tour by reading his wonderful history lesson Baseball The New York Game.”

—Bernie Williams

Former tour director, Tony Morante always had a passion for the early days of New York City baseball. Buckle up!!

—Marty Appel