Century Research Committee
SABR’s Century Research Committee, formed in 2020, provides a research hub for SABR research and activities to memorialize the anniversaries of important milestones in baseball history.
Although the Century Committee is designed to primarily focus on 100th anniversary events, its work will encompass other significant anniversaries — e.g. 25th, 50th, 75th — as well, by using some of these SABR resources:
- Games Project stories to complement existing articles on significant games and stories on games that took place while other important historical events were occurring
- BioProject assignments on players and figures who played instrumental roles in upcoming anniversary events
- Oral History interviews with figures connected to anniversary events
- In-depth showcase of the work by other SABR research committees, including Women in Baseball, the Negro Leagues, the Minor Leagues, Asian Baseball, and Latino Baseball
- Dedicated Web Features on the SABR website to celebrate significant anniversaries in baseball history
- Podcasts with SABR members who have written books on upcoming anniversary events
This committee’s goals are to help broaden the potential audience and membership for SABR through a specific focus on baseball as a lens through which to view American and world history. We are also exploring ideas to promote use of SABR materials in schools.
SABR has long had a Deadball Era Committee and Nineteenth Century Committee. The idea for this committee sprang from the idea of a look at the “Jazz Age” of the 1920s. It is a decade that is rich in baseball history, when we will witness the 100th anniversaries of many significant moments in baseball history (and, later, the Depression Years of the 1930s). Yet no other SABR committee existed that was committed to bringing researchers together around these themes.
Check out new Century Committee projects below:
- Baseball and the Supreme Court: In 2022, we took a look back at the 100th anniversary of baseball’s antitrust exemption in Federal Baseball v. National League, and the 50th anniversary of Curt Flood’s landmark case before the Supreme Court that was decided in 1972.
- Jackie Robinson 75: Baseball’s Re-Integration: In 2022, we commemorated the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, a historic moment in baseball and in American society, drawing on the contributions of more than 85 SABR authors and historians to tell the story of Jackie Robinson’s complicated, never guaranteed, journey as a civil rights pioneer on and off the field.
- 1921 Year in Review: In 2021, we published a comprehensive look at the 1921 baseball season, including the first radio broadcast, the new Negro National League, the rise of Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees dynasty, the all-New York World Series, and the Black Sox trial.
Committee website: Check out the Century Committee website to find articles on memorable players, games, and moments from 100 years ago.
Announcements: To sign up for email announcements from this committee, click the “Announcements” button above, then click “Join Group” (
). All SABR members are eligible to sign up for announcements from any committee.
Contacts: For more information, or to get involved, contact a committee leader below:
- Sharon Hamilton (Chair)
- Bill Nowlin (Vice Chair)