It Was Never About the Babe: The Red Sox, Racism, Mismanagement, and the Curse of the Bambino

The first book to tell the entire story of why the Red Sox are now a dynasty—and what kept them from winning for more than eight decades.

For years, Red Sox fans were told that their team was cursed because the Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. But as Jerry Gutlon reveals in It Was Never About the Babe, what really happened is far more unsettling.

With the thorough research of a seasoned journalist and the zeal of a lifelong Red Sox fan, Gutlon details the rampant favoritism and racism that cost Boston’s beloved team nearly a century of championships. The truths in this book will shock even the most die-hard members of Red Sox nation. For instance, Babe Ruth was sold not just to produce a Broadway play, but also because of his bad behavior and a feud between commissioner Ban Johnson and Sox owner Harry Frazee. They will also be surprised at which legendary ballplayer tried out at Fenway Park and didn’t make the cut and shocked to learn which beloved Red Sox owner also ran a brothel.

Covering the early Red Sox championship dynasty of Ruth, the never-good-enough teams of Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Carlton Fisk and Curt Schilling, It Was Never About the Babe is an eye-opening read for every baseball fan and a must-own book for every fan in Boston.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.

Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.