Call for Papers: “Baseball is: . . “
A Special Issue of
NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture

In recent weeks everyone has had their lives impacted in some way or another by the global Coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, this situation has impacted peoples’ health, jobs, day-to-day lives, and the economy.

On a much less important scale, but one in which all baseball fans have an interest, we are missing the games that would normally have been played to start the 2020 season. For now, baseball at every level has come to a standstill.

Since the pandemic has caused most of us to have more time at home, there has been an increase in postings on social media from people opening old packs of baseball cards, watching favorite games from seasons past, discussing the best/worst players from each era, and even what people would choose for their walk-up song if they could have one played at work. One thing is clear through all of this: despite the game being put on hold for the time being, baseball still has a firm grip on us all.

With this in mind, we invite you to contribute to an upcoming special issue of NINE.

We solicit any original, previously unpublished essay in which fans explore what baseball means to them. This may include memories of specific games, interactions with players or managers, and/or unique perspectives related to any aspect of the game. Unlike scholarly, research-based articles in our traditional issues, these submissions are meant to be more of the types usually reserved for the “Triple Play” section of the journal. Baseball may be on hold for the moment, but this issue will show why baseball has a hold on us.

Submissions should be between 1500 and 5000 words, double-spaced, in a Word document. Please send submissions to NINE editor Willie Steele at willie.steele@lipscomb.edu by July 19, 2020. Authors will be notified in August of their inclusion into this special issue.