Al Spalding Quotes, Albert Goodwill Spalding, born September 2, 1850, in Byron, Illinois, and died September 9, 1915, was an American baseball pitcher, manager, executive, and co-founder of the A.G. Spalding sporting goods company. A dominant player in the National Association and early National League, he pitched every game for his team in 1875 and led the league in wins for five years. Spalding popularized the baseball glove and published the Spalding Baseball Guide, shaping the sport’s growth. These 15 quotes—sourced from his writings, speeches, and America’s National Game (1911)—reflect his views on baseball, democracy, and resilience, infused with his pioneering spirit.
15 Al Spalding Quotes
- “Baseball gives a growing boy self-poise and self-reliance.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “Baseball is a man maker.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “The genius of our institutions is democratic—baseball is a democratic game.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “I was not able to understand how it could be right to pay an actor, or a singer, or an instrumentalist for entertaining the public and wrong to pay a ball player for doing exactly the same thing.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “Two hours is about as long as any American can wait for the close of a baseball game, or anything else for that matter.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “Professional baseball is on the wane. Salaries must come down or the interest of the public must be increased in some way.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “No human mind may measure the blessings conferred by the game of baseball on the soldiers of the Civil War.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “Everything is possible to him that dares.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “Baseball is the exponent of American Courage, Confidence, Combativeness, American Dash, Discipline, Determination, American Energy, Eagerness, Enthusiasm, American Pluck, Persistency, Performance, American Spirit, Sagacity, Success, American Vim, Vigor, Virility.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “There is nothing better calculated than baseball to give a growing boy self-poise and self-reliance, confidence, inoffensive and entirely proper aggressiveness, general manliness.” (New York Times, 1911)
- “The game of baseball is a clean, straight game, and it summons to its presence everybody who enjoys clean, straight athletics.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “Baseball is war—a war of attrition, strategy, and skill.” (Speech, circa 1900)
- “The evolution of baseball is the evolution of American spirit.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “To succeed in baseball, as in life, you must have grit and a willingness to fight for every inch.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
- “Baseball is more than a game; it’s a bond that unites the nation.” (America’s National Game, 1911)
Al Spalding’s quotes are a spirited blend of passion for baseball, belief in its moral and democratic virtues, and a call to resilience, inspiring fans to see the game as a reflection of American life. Which quote captures the heart of baseball for you? Share it below and keep Spalding’s legacy on the field alive!
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