by John Sexton
First published 2013
NYU President John Sexton draws from over a decade of teaching to reveal how baseball connects us to spiritual truths. He examines the game through multiple lenses: classic baseball literature, historic moments like the Brooklyn Dodgers' 1955 championship, and legendary figures from the saintly Christy Mathewson to the controversial Ty Cobb. Sexton applies religious inquiry methods to secular baseball, uncovering shared elements between sport and spirituality. He explores sacred spaces and time, faith and doubt, blessings and curses within the game's structure. The book moves from grand stadium moments to intimate father-son games of catch, showing how baseball's rituals and routines mirror religious practices. Sexton argues that certain life truths exist beyond analytical reasoning, accessible only through direct experience. He demonstrates how America's national pastime serves as more than entertainment, offering a pathway to deeper meaning and spiritual understanding.
Genres: sports, religion, non-fiction, biography-memoir, baseball, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Brooklyn, NYU
Period: 1955
256 pages · Hardcover · Gotham