There are certain individuals that leave a mark in history; not only for the things that they do, but for the people that they are. There's no question, Babe Ruth fit this category. In experiencing and appreciating everything life had to offer, he also became a larger-than-life character. A lot of his fans loved him for the ballplayer that he was, but a lot of them loved him for the person that he was as well.
BRC has talked to a number of people that either knew the Babe; regularly interacted with him; or, had some connection to the Babe, either during his baseball career or afterward. Almost every one of these people had a similar response regarding Babe as a person: "He was a likable guy"; or, "Everybody liked him."
There are many reasons for this response now, as there were when Babe was alive. Babe's athletic prowess and fun-loving personality came at the perfect time - the Roaring 20's. And, his on-field feats were so far and above the other athletes of the time that people were bound to notice.
Through his athletic accomplishments, natural charm, affection for people and exuberance for life, Babe managed to capture the love and appreciation of so many people across the country and the world. The public and the press watched what he did and said, unlike any other person at the time. Essentially, Babe truly became a "superstar".
What's also interesting to note is that he still seems to have that status and effect on people today -- nearly 60 years after his passing.
Babe Ruth's Effect on American Culture
Part of Babe Ruth's influence can be attributed to the fact that his most successful years were during the "Roaring 20's". It was a time in American culture where society admired and flocked to exuberance on all levels. The U.S. had recently won World War I and America emerged into a period of great pride, a booming economy and a mentality of consumption. It was also the time when mass media (radio and newspapers) really started to have a big effect on culture in the U.S. Communications reached new levels of efficiency and local stories easily became national stories.
Given Babe's prominence both on and off the field, he became an icon for America's greatness and passion for living. The message of the legendary Babe Ruth was conveyed throughout the country and the world. As Tom Stanton, a baseball historian and author, has said, "It's difficult to convey to people today just how popular a sports figure Babe really was in American history. He's the most mythologized figure in American sports history - a huge icon. Of all the colorful figures that existed during the 20's and 30's, Babe was at the front of the line."
In 1930, Babe made $80,000 a year, which was $5,000 more than the current U.S. President, Herbert Hoover. Given the time-period of the Depression, it was considered by many to be astonishing. When a reporter asked the Babe if he thought that it was right to be making more money than the President, Babe responded, "Why not? I had a better year than he did." His comment was cocky and confident, mixed with some humor -- exactly what America needed and wanted to hear at the time.
It's clear the impact that he had on the general population when you consider the number of personal and radio appearances made by the Babe, as well as photo images and newspaper articles about him. Probably one of the most notable signs of his celebrity status was the large amount of endorsements that he made, especially considering that the concept of athlete endorsements hadn't been popularized at this point in American culture. There was no Nike or Reebok to take pro sports stars to this heightened status. Even so, Babe was already there, as evidenced by the advertisements in which Babe appeared. We invite you to sample just some of these ads.
A Sampler of Babe Ruth Advertisements during his Lifetime.
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There were so many reasons to love the Babe. How could you not? He represented every working person's dream. From growing up on the streets of Baltimore to ultimately being the biggest celebrity in America, he lived the ultimate rags-to-riches story. He gave everyone hope and inspiration.
Through it all, Babe was always personable and friendly with others, which made him more relevant for the "everyday Joe." Although overly confident at times, Babe usually never let his fame and fortune get to his head. There are many personal accounts of the Babe's generosity towards others, as well numerous interactions with fans regardless of who they were or what walk of life they came from.
Yet, it was children that were most near and dear to his heart. Bill Werber, Babe's teammate on the New York Yankees, told BRC in March 2006 that, "Babe was unusually good with kids. You know, when he would leave Yankee Stadium - he was an immaculate dresser - and the kids would walk all over him and he would just continue to stand there and sign autographs for them. He would go to hospitals to see sick kids that asked to see him and he wouldn't bring a photographer or a reporter with him."
Given that the Babe was always considered a "big kid" himself, perhaps he always felt that he could relate to the innocence of children and their unconditional love and optimism. A lot of it could also be attributed to the fact that, since Babe struggled so much growing up at St. Mary's Industrial School, his heart automatically went out to all children, without exception of their background.
Regardless of his reasons, there is no question from children who got to meet or interact with him that Babe sincerely adored children. And, that these children adored the Babe. Leon Fichman, who was a child actor in the 1930's and starred with the Babe in a few short films, told BRC in June 2006 that, "He was the nicest man I ever met. He was so nice to all of us kids when we worked together for those two weeks. I'll never forget a minute of it. I remember sitting on his lap and he put his arms around me and made out that ball for me that said, 'To Leon, from one left-hander to another, Babe Ruth". I'll never forget it. One of the most important days of my life."
To hear more from Leon's interview, please visit Section 09: Voices.
There are many stories, like Leon's, from elders still alive today who fondly reminisce about their moment with the Babe and think highly of the man. After Babe's baseball career had ended, he focused a lot of his time championing the causes of children and baseball. Many newspaper stories, such as the one shown here, accounted of his efforts.
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In late 1946, after spending the years during World War II performing charitable works and raising money for the country's war efforts, Babe became ill. While he had been prone to colds before and even had pneumonia in 1942, this illness was different. For much of the second half of the year, Babe had been suffering from severe pain over his left eye. In a November visit to French Hospital in Manhattan that year, doctors found the root cause of his pain -- a malignant tumor in his neck. Even worse, the tumor surrounded his left carotid artery and Babe would need surgery to save his life.
The surgery was successful to a limited degree. While the surgeons could remove most of the tumor, they could not get it all, forcing Babe to subsequently undergo radiation treatment. By the time Babe was released from the hospital in February 1947, he seemed to be doing a bit better. Although he resumed some of his favorite outdoor activities such as golf and hunting, it was also clear that Babe was still not fully recovered. He was pale. He had lost nearly 80 pounds from his prior year's average weight. His voice was raspy due to the damage done to his larynx by the surgery to remove the tumor.
Even so, Babe participated in "Babe Ruth Day" at Yankee Stadium on April 27, 1947. The Yankees had organized the event to honor and thank Babe for all his contributions to the team during his playing days. The crowd exceeded over 60,000 faithful fans. And, in this ceremony, Babe gave a speech, in a clearly weakened voice, that included his now-famous line, "The only real game in the world, I think, is baseball."
Babe continued to take morphine for his constant pain and received an experimental cancer drug that seemed to help for a time. By the spring of 1948, however, it was clear that his poor health was getting the better of him. That was apparent when he attended the 25th Anniversary celebration of Yankee Stadium on June 13, 1948, where he posed for photos with his former 1923 teammates and spoke a few words to the crowd. The fans loudly expressed their love and appreciation for the Babe throughout the event.
Shortly after this event, Babe returned to the hospital. The end was near. Yet, even from his hospital bed, Babe answered many of the hundreds of letters, with get well wishes and requests for autographs, that came pouring in. He even briefly left the hospital to attend the movie premiere of The Babe Ruth Story, although he couldn't manage to stay through the entire film.
Babe Ruth passed away on August 16th, 1948. In his will, he left 10% of his estate (after his wife, Claire, passed away), to be used, in Babe's words, "in the interests of the kids of America." His coffin lay in state at Yankee Stadium. Over the course of two days, over 200,000 people came to pay their respects and say their farewell to the Babe. Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of New York to see his funeral procession. And, the Ruth family received hundreds of Western Union telegrams from organizations, notable individuals and Babe's biggest fans across the country, all expressing their sorrow and acknowledging not only the family's loss, but America's loss as well.
In a BRC exclusive, we invite you to view a sampling of these telegrams that the family received, selected from the Ruth Family archives.
Telegrams of Condolence Addressed to Claire
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Although he died in 1948, over the course of time, Babe seems to continue to live on in the hearts of fans. On April 8, 1974, one of the most significant moments in baseball history occurred, when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career homerun record of 714. For Mr. Aaron, this should have been a totally joyous, crowning achievement of his baseball career and life. Unfortunately, however, there was a significant amount of people who negatively responded to his great achievement (It should be noted that this was also experienced, to a lesser degree, by Roger Maris, when he broke Babe's single-season homerun mark in 1961).
Tom Stanton, who wrote the book "Hank Aaron and the Homerun that Changed America", even acknowledged, "There was that element that didn't want Aaron to break the record because he was African American, but there were many more people, I think, who just had such cherished memories of Babe Ruth that they just didn't want anybody breaking the record. He was such a beloved character in American history." That was how strong Babe's achievements and persona had become ingrained in American culture.
This same phenomenon was recently repeated, when baseball fans saw a similar response to Barry Bonds' eclipse of Babe's career homerun mark. Although there were different reasons for a lot of the negative sentiment towards Bonds as he was approaching the Babe's mark, a portion of the response was still very similar to Aaron's defining moment. A lot of fans simply didn't want another player breaking Babe' mark - a clear sign of their loyalty to the Babe, as well as their desire to ensure his continued prominence in baseball history.
When BRC asked Julia Ruth Stevens, Babe's daughter, how Babe would respond to Aaron and Bonds breaking his career homerun mark, she said, "He would have been fine with it. Daddy used to always say, 'Records are made to be broken.'"
So how and why does the Babe continue to have a presence in our lives? Perhaps it's a result of stories passed down through generations of how the Babe somehow touched the lives of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on. Or, perhaps it's the stories captured in the numerous books or articles that continue to be published throughout the decades.
Perhaps it's the even the multiple TV commercials that continue to feature the Babe years after his death: in 1998, a "Claymation" Babe was featured as a character in a Lipton Ice Tea commercial; in 2005, Bud-Lite humorously reenacted the "Called Shot" homerun; and, as recently as the summer of 2006, a commercial for DHL portrayed Babe Ruth on a plaque on the wall boasting the number of hot dogs he ate in his lifetime to other famous stars such as Cal Ripken and Honus Wagner.
Perhaps it's the ongoing references about and comparisons to the Babe still made frequently on sports news shows. Or, maybe it's a result of the number of films that focus on his life: a number of documentaries, two feature films and a TV movie have been made on the Babe (some more successful and accurate, than others). In fact, an animated children's movie was just released in September 2006 called, "Everybody's Hero", which is a story of a boy's journey to try and reclaim the stolen bat of his hero, Babe Ruth.
Perhaps it's even the lexicon that has grown out of Babe's impact on American culture, with phrases such as "the most Ruthian of…" and "the Babe Ruth of…" still being sprinkled in all types of contexts.
At the end of the day, it's probably a little of all of the elements mentioned above that contribute to the Ruth's ongoing effect on the baseball fan. But one thing is for certain, it requires a unique and special hero to continue to have the effect that Babe Ruth still has today.
Mike Gibbons, Executive Director of the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore, shared some of his sentiments with BRC regarding the Babe's lasting presence, "At the celebration of various milestones of the Babe, like his birth or death or a significant homerun, you'll find that fans will send things to the museum or come here or to his gravesite in New York to leave mementos. You know, people are always trying to find a way to link up with Babe Ruth. We get calls and letters and emails all the time from people that have a special affinity for him. - it demonstrates so clearly, the passion that America's fans have for this guy."
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of stories of how Babe impacted someone's life. Do you also have a story of how Babe touched you or someone in your family? Tell us your stories and you may be featured here as well!
Submit Your Own Babe Ruth Story
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Ernie Harwell, Hall of Fame broadcaster and the voice of the Detroit Tigers for 42 years, has passed. He was a great man and a great ambassador to the game. BRC had the privilege of meeting with him once and 
Babe Ruth was the first player to hit a homerun in an All-Star game (1934).
