Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball

John Helyar

How did a gentleman's game become a business, and why did owners, players and commissioners fight so bitterly over its money and control?

At a glance

You will understand how owners held control of baseball for a century and why players fought so hard to break it
You will weigh the owners' evidence that free agents tended to decline after signing big contracts
You will see that players jumping to other teams for the best offer is as old as professional baseball itself