Continuing Education Preview Event

I registered for an event at NYU tomorrow (today actually.) It's a preview of two classes which will be taught in January. I've been always interested in taking classes even after I was done with school (BU's sabermetrics class was so much fun.) Maybe I'll take one of these (or both) if they aren't too expensive.

Pinstripe Empire: A History of Baseball's Most Successful Franchise

From Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle to Munson, Jackson, Mattingly, and Jeter, no team has had such a great impact on American cultural history as the New York Yankees have. Established over a century ago, this Bronx team has had a love/hate relationship with its fans. Yet it has touched New York's social, cultural, economic, and sports history with dazzling accomplishments, great stars, and big dollars. Examine the backstage factors that led to the successes, errors, and missteps along the way–and the emotional connection that fans have developed with the team. Emphasis is placed on the "brand." The book Pinstripe Empire by Marty Appel, which is considered the definitive history of the team, forms the basis of the course.

Marvin Miller, 20th Century Trade Unionism and Development of the MLBPA

Taught by Bob Tufts, former Major League Baseball pitcher and NYU School of Professional Studies Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media, and Business adjunct faculty member, this interdisciplinary course covers law, labor, history, economics, management, American studies, and sports and examines how they relate to the origin and growth of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Study how Marvin Miller, the first executive director of the MLBPA (and an NYU graduate with a degree in economics), became a highly successful negotiator, manager, and union leader. Examine Miller's upbringing, as well as germane social and cultural issues of the 20th century, the American labor movement, federal and state labor law, and relevant court decisions. Attention is paid to key moments in MLBPA history—early and failed attempts to unionize, Miller's selection as executive director, collective bargaining, arbitration, court decisions, strikes and lockouts, free agency, drug testing and collusion—and the business and labor ramifications of these issues.


I'm a huge Yankee fan, but the latter sounds a bit more interesting. I'll add few more lines later tonight about the event.