In an age where we are deluged with media, it is almost impossible to convey the status Babe Ruth had in his time. Take Michael Jordan, Larry Bird plus Wilt Chamberlain all rolled into one, toss in Barry Bonds and Mark M[sup]c[/sup]Guire, then add Tiger Woods just for fun. Only then would you begin to approach the immense popularity that Ruth enjoyed. The Bambino’s status as a cultural and sports icon remains to this day. No one has yet to eclipse Ruth’s .847 batting average. To further elaborate, it is an un-numbered jersey from the earliest times of Ruth’s career and baseball in general.
One must also consider the popularity of radio broadcast baseball before the last mid-century. Again, you would have to combine numerous current top television shows like ER, Survivor and (aptly) American Idol to obtain similar audience numbers. People would crowd around the radio (equivalent to a television back then) and breathlessly follow an announcer’s play-by-play of the game. Anyone from the television generation will be almost entirely unable to comprehend this notion.
My mention of the da Vinci codex is to illustrate valid methods of redistributing intact works to better enhance public awareness. I make no effort to equate precise value. Just as (I’m sure) the collector quoted in the linked article who made mention of the Declaration of Independence did not intend to either. Seeing this part of America’s collective cultural memory carved up like a lunchtime ham bodes ill for our future as a nation. Sadly, collectors and fans will snap up these now worthless fragments. Their willingness to participate in the plunder of America’s legacy does not speak well of what future generations shall inherit from today’s attitudes. The shards of needlessly destroyed artifacts are poor substitutes for a coherent vision of history.
In closing, I’ll add that I find it extremely telling how other people like myself who could give a rip about organized sports have nonetheless chimed in about how wrong this is.
