10. The World Series offered considerable financial rewards for players
When Major League Baseball entered the 1930s, it comprised 16 teams in two leagues, spread across just ten cities. Some teams developed large regional fan bases. In Cincinnati, Reds owner Powel Crosley also owned WLW Radio, one of the most powerful radio stations in the United States. Broadcasting Reds games created fans throughout the Midwest and upper South. The St. Louis Cardinals drew fans far to the west, as did the Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals’ fiercest on and off-field rival. By the 1930s the Major League Baseball season consisted of 154 games. Each league crowned the team in first place at the season’s end as their champion, winner of the pennant. The pennant winners met in the World Series just days after the season ended. There were no other playoffs unless a tie for the pennant dictated one.
The leagues did not play each other during the regular season. The only interleague competition occurred in the All-Star Game (first played in 1933) and in the World Series. Any other games between the leagues were exhibitions. In addition, the World Series games carried a significant winner’s share of the receipts, giving the players a bonus check just as the season ended and their paychecks stopped until Spring. Most of the players of the day held off-season jobs. A World Series winner’s share provided a nice boost to their income. The Series loser also got a check, though it was considerably less. In 1934, the winning St. Louis Cardinals each took home a winner’s share of just over $5,300 (about $110,000 today). The losing Detroit Tigers pocketed about $2,000 (over $41,000 per man less). World Series games were hard-fought, and the popularity of the event grew throughout the 1930s.