2017 SABR Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award winner announced
SABR is pleased to announce the winner of the 2017 Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award.
Michael Duffy, a rising senior at Bard College in New York, majoring in American Studies, was selected as the winner in the college division for his paper, “Babe Ruth: Changing Baseball and Changing America.” Click here to read the winning essay (PDF).
A New York City native, Duffy qualified for the all-academic teams for baseball in 2016 and 2017, as well as the academic Honor Roll during his junior year. He is a left-handed pitcher on the Bard Raptors baseball team. Throughout his education, he has enjoyed integrating sports into his studies and research — including a focus on individual athletes, international sports, and the role(s) of athletics in shaping society, business and individuals. He has enjoyed playing baseball nationally and internationally in Europe; a member of an Italian team for six years, he was able to compete against teams within Italy as well as from Israel, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Czech Republic and Pakistan. Duffy’s Senior Project at Bard will concentrate on the history, evolution, and impact of Sports Marketing in the United States. He hopes to integrate his love of baseball and all sports following his 2018 graduation, seeking entry into the wide-ranging field of sports marketing and promotion.
As a Kavanagh Award winner, Duffy will receive a plaque honoring his achievement, a $200 prize, and a one-year membership to SABR. No awards were given out in the high school or middle school divisions this year.
The Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award was established in 1999 by the Society for American Baseball Research in recognition of Kavanagh’s writing and research achievements and his contributions to SABR. The Kavanagh Award may be presented each year for either a research presentation given at the SABR National Convention (papers must accompany any oral presentation), or for a research paper that is submitted to the awards committee between the end of one SABR Convention and no later than June 1 of the following year by a researcher in grades 6-8 (middle school category), grades 9-12 (high school category), or undergraduates 22 and under (College Category).
For more information, contact Leslie Heaphy.
Winning entries from previous years can be viewed by clicking here.
Originally published: August 10, 2017. Last Updated: August 10, 2017.