Introduction Philosopher Jacques Barzun once observed that anyone wish ing to understand heart and mind of America should study sport of baseball, viewed by many as national pastime. Many writers and historians have echoed support for Barzun's statement, and there has been a proliferation of scholarly literature on sport. Some of America's finest novelists have used imagery of baseball. Thomas Wolfe stated, Is there anything that can evoke spring?the first fine days of April?better than sound of ball smacking into pocket of big mitt, sound of bat as it hits horse hide: for me, at any rate, and I am being literal and not rhetorical?almost everything I know about spring is in it?the first leaf, jonquil, maple tree, smell of grass upon your hands and knees, coming into flower of April (1). While Wolfe's description evokes pastoral nature of baseball's early years, growing mass culture of urban America quickly adopted game as a favorite. The North Carolina writer might have some difficulty with late twentieth century domed stadiums with artificial turf. Baseball seems to embody many of values coming to dominate an urbanized and industrialized America. A number of scholars have suggested that baseball may be perceived as a sort of mirror in which power, politics, fashion, class, econom ics, and race may be viewed in microcosm. In his study of A. G. Spalding and rise of professional baseball in late nineteenth century, Peter Levine argues that creation of professional baseball leagues reflected professionalization of American culture which occurred throughout nation as more white middle class reformers sought to impose some order upon chaos of industrialization, immigration, and urbanization. How ever, in his work on baseball in Progressive Era, Steven A. Riess asserts that while Progressives may have regarded baseball as the epitome of finest American beliefs, traditions, and values, men who actually controlled major leagues were often more like machine politicians with profit motives (2). Some other scholars see baseball as a force for passing along such essential values as hard work, social mobility, democracy, and teamwork. Baseball reveals significant themes like urbanism, technology, class, race, and gender. The inclusion of baseball in history curriculum may gain attention of many recalcitrant students who may find sport history a little more interesting than banking policies of Andrew Jackson. But several important caveats should be attached here. For a sport such as baseball to serve function of analyzing values in microcosm, attention must be paid to larger political, social, economic, and cultural context in which these values are displayed. Accordingly, a study of baseball should not supplant study of American political history, but rather enhance it. Teachers considering using baseball as an expression of American values should see sport as part of a larger cultural unit on role of leisure in American society. Thus, baseball curriculum material could be used as a model for inclusion of other sports. For example, emergence of spectator sports suggests some important revisions in cultural perceptions of gender such as study of women's tennis and women's basketball. Other relevant aspects of sport and leisure history include film, fads, fashion, popular culture and literature, consumption and advertising, exercise, amusement parks, and impact of all these activities on both workplace and family. Baseball might be introduced into curriculum in many ways. First, even though many people view baseball as national pastime, teachers should not assume too much advanced knowl edge of game. The growth of leisure time in late-twentieth century American culture has produced considerable alternatives to baseball. Second, teachers beginning a unit on role of baseball in American culture would do well to start with a brief