Kansas City, Mo. — The All-Star Game is just part of a several days events, including the Fan Fest, parade, 5K run and many more events. But it didn’t used to be that way.
In 1933, a sports writer had an idea for an athletic event for the World’s Fair in Chicago. Major League Baseball owners weren’t so sure about the idea, according to Curt Nelson, director of the Royals Hall of Fame. He says MLB agreed to it as long as the Worlds Fair paid for it, and that’s how the All-Star game was born.
The All-Star History exhibit on display at the Royals Hall of Fame right now includes a ball from that first game, of course signed by the great Babe Ruth. And a ticket for the game, costing a dollar and ten cents.
“In todays dollars that would be 19 dollars so it’s a reasonably priced ticket,” says Nelson.
The game was obviously a huge hit so it was done every year since 1933, with only one exception: 1945.
“The war in Europe had come to a close and there were travel restrictions in the U.S. with a lot of troop movements, getting troops home and out into the pacific,” says Nelson, “so the travel restrictions required them to cancel the All-Star game that year.”
From 1959 until 1962 there were actually two All-Star games every year, so that includes the 1960 games in Kansas City and New York. Why two games? Because it was a benefit for the players pension funds.
The Royals Hall of Fame inside Kauffman Stadium is currently collecting memorabilia from the past All-Star games in Kansas City and will have a special exhibit on display by June 22nd, just in time for the All-Star game. Some of the items are on loan from fans, like a 1960 batter lineup card that an usher collected in the dugout after the game was over.
Looking back, you can see how much things have changed, from a simple one day event to a week-long celebration of the all-American game.
“As prestigious as it was to have it in ’60 and ’73, having it in 2012 is even more, because of all the things that come with it,” says Nelson.
