Aug 10, 2018
Sports have a long history of being intertwined with American
politics. Drawing on his experience as a former presidential
speechwriter, Curt Smith examines the relationship between baseball
and the American presidency in a new book: “The Presidents and the
Pastime.” In this episode, he joins Julian Zelizer to discuss the
book, which provides a narrative of how American leaders from
Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump have treated baseball, making it
a quintessentially American sport. Smith was the speechwriter for
President George H.W.Bush. Smith is also America's "leading voice
of authority on baseball broadcasting," author of 15 books,
GateHouse Media columnist and National Public Radio affiliate
series host. He's currently a senior lecturer at the University of
Rochester.