Babe Ruth and the Creation of the Celebrity Athlete

<p> From his first year in the majors George Herman Babe Ruth knew he could profit from celebrity. Babe Ruth Cigars in 1915 marked his first attempt to cash in. Traded to the Yankees in 1920 he soon signed with Christy Walsh baseball's first publicity agent.</p><p> Walsh realized that stories of great deeds in sports were a commodity and in 1921 sold Ruth's ghostwritten byline to a newspaper syndicate for $15000 ($187000 today). Ruth hit home runs while Walsh's writers made him a hero crafting his public image as a lovable scalawag.</p><p> Were the stories true? It didn't matter--they sold. Many survive but have never been scrutinized until now. Drawing on primary sources this book examines the stories separating exaggerated facts from clear falsehoods. This book traces Ruth's ascendance as the first great media-created superstar and celebrity product endorser.</p>