The All-Star Lineup of Reasons to Join and Further Support SABR

Issue #54

I think many baseball fans, not to mention others, when they hear the name “SABR,” have an image of a group of people who are interested in researching, writing about, discussing, and even inventing ever more baseball statistics. The now popular term “sabermetrics” (SABRmetrics) is one understandable reason for this.

No doubt, an interest in and focus on statistical analysis is certainly one element of SABR, The Society for American Baseball Research. But with now over fifty years of life behind it (learn about SABR’s history), SABR’s scope and efforts go far beyond baseball stats and their analysis.

Personally, I first joined SABR in the 1990s and have been a paying member off and on ever since. For the past several years I’ve not only been a member, I also donate additionally whenever I can to further support the ever-expanding work of this largely volunteer-driven organization. (Yes, like some organization but unlike others, SABR has only a few actual employees, and provides much of its value via the voluntary efforts of some of its over 7,000 members—who variously do research, write articles and books, run chapter events, work at the national conferences, and more.)

What follows is my end-of-2022 All-Star lineup of reasons to either join SABR if you aren’t already a member (only $65 a year for standard membership, with discounts available for students, seniors, and young professionals), or to consider making an additional donation to SABR. As a 501c3 organization, additional donations—beyond membership dues—could be tax deductible in the US if you itemize deductions, something to consider at the end of the year especially (see the Bring It Home campaign.)

Leading Off—The Wide Range of SABR Committees

SABR these days has over 7,000 members, and as noted above their interests in all things baseball are very wide-ranging. So leading off this lineup of reasons to join or support SABR has to be the wide range of research committees that members can join. If you aren’t already a SABR member, look over this list—can you honestly tell me you knew that SABR supported such diverse angles and interests on our great sport? (This list with descriptions copied from SABR’s website.)

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Research CommitteePromoting research and application of AI and machine learning in baseball.

• Asian Baseball Research CommitteeIncreasing awareness and knowledge of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and Filipino baseball.

• Ballparks Research CommitteeCollecting the history of current and past ballparks from the Major, Minor and Negro Leagues.

• Baseball and the Arts Research CommitteeResearching movies, songs and poetry inspired by the game of baseball.

• Baseball Cards Research CommitteeExploring the history, importance and evolution of the baseball card industry.

• Baseball Index Project CommitteeLocating, identifying and classifying the literature of baseball.

• Baseball Landmarks CommitteeDocumenting the staggering array of baseball-related sites located across North America.

• Baseball and the Media Research CommitteeProviding information and insight pertaining to the media’s coverage of baseball, both as news and as an event.

• Baseball Records Research CommitteeEstablishing an accurate set of records for organized baseball.

• Biography Project Committee (BioProject)Producing comprehensive biographies of any person who ever played or managed in the major leagues.

• Biographical Research CommitteeOne of SABR’s initial committees in 1971, we encourage research of people associated with baseball.

• Black Sox Scandal Research CommitteeFocusing on the people and events of the 1919 World Series fix.

• Business of Baseball Research CommitteeStudying all aspects of baseball administration, including economic, organizational, labor and legal issues.

• Century Research CommitteeA hub for SABR research and activities to memorialize the anniversaries of important milestones in baseball history.

• Collegiate Baseball Research CommitteeMaintaining the Major League Baseball Collegiate Database.

• Concessions Research CommitteeDocumenting the history and evolution of food at ballparks, and its relation to baseball history and culture, as well as its relation to American popular culture in general.

• Deadball Era Research CommitteeEncouraging research on baseball from 1901 to 1919.

• Educational Resources CommitteeBringing together educators to use baseball as a teaching tool.

• Games and Simulations Research CommitteeStudying how simulation games work, what statistics are generated and how organized baseball can benefit.

• Games Project Research CommitteeA collaborative initiative to research and write articles on major-league and Negro League regular, postseason, and All-Star Games.

• Iconography ProjectAn ongoing effort to produce a history and catalog of artistic depictions of the game in a variety of forms: fine art, photography, sculpture, illustration, caricatures, engraving, lithography.

• Latino Baseball Research CommitteeResearching Latinos in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball to baseball in the Caribbean.

• Minor Leagues Research CommitteeBuilding the first comprehensive compilation of historical minor league statistics.

• Negro Leagues Research CommitteePreserving the history of blacks in baseball before the re-integration of the game.

• Nineteenth Century Research CommitteeEncouraging research on all facets of baseball before 1901.

• Official Scoring Research CommitteeDocumenting the history and evolution of official scoring rules and who has done the scoring.

• Oral History Research CommitteeRecording and storing remembrances of baseball’s past.

• Origins Research CommitteeStudying on the early forms of baseball and its predecessor games.

• Pictorial History Research CommitteeCataloging and identifying photos of all major league players, managers and ballparks.

• Science and Baseball Research CommitteeExploring research in the science of baseball, including behavioral, physical and natural sciences.

• Scouts Research CommitteeCompiling a complete roster of major league scouts and a listing of ballplayers they signed.

• Spring Training Research CommitteeStudying the impact of professional baseball on the cities which have played host to spring training camps.

• Statistical Analysis Research CommitteeEncouraging the exchange of research and analysis using baseball statistics.

• Umpires and Rules Research CommitteeStudying the impact of umpires and rules changes on the development of the game.

• Women in Baseball Research CommitteeStudying the role of women in various aspects of professional baseball.

Batting Second: SABR Regional Chapters

SABR has over 75 regional chapters, of course all around the US—but did you know also spanning the globe? Yes, about a dozen of SABR’s chapters are for areas outside the US. The size and other aspects of the regional chapters vary, but most chapters hold meetings semi-regularly—both in-person and virtually—often including guest speakers, presentations, trips to ballgames, and more. When my book Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises, came out in early 2019 I was honored to be a guest speaker in-person at my local chapter in Rochester, NY, and also presented virtually at many more SABR chapters throughout 2019 and 2020.

Of course you don’t have to join a regional chapter once you join SABR. But I think in general SABR members who are at least minimally involved in their local chapter get the most out of their SABR membership.

Batting Third: Unique Baseball Research Resources

Many SABR members are not really active baseball researchers. Many just love the game of baseball: perhaps they played or still play; they watch lots of games, both in-person and via TV/online; perhaps they are in a fantasy league; they no doubt have favorite baseball journalists and authors; and at least sometimes use the many publicly available resources like baseball-reference.com that the Internet has blessed us with.

But being a SABR member gives a baseball fan easy access to a host of resources, including some that are for members only. First there are the fast growing SABR Biography and SABR Game projects. Then there is the longstanding Baseball Index, a catalog of baseball literature, from the earliest references to the present day, containing more than 250,000 citations. There is also a full archive of The Sporting News available to SABR members, as well as many former baseball-only newsletters and periodicals. There are guides to sabermetrics themselves, as well as a guide on how to do baseball research. The SABR Oral History Collection is impressive with its 500+ interviews with professional ballplayers, executives, scouts, and more. And there are resources on spring training, the minor leagues, the negro leagues, baseball in the 19th century, and much more—including a curated list of public resources beyond the ones you likely already know about.

Hitting Cleanup: SABR National Events

I already mentioned the over 75 regional chapters and how they hold both in-person and virtual events throughout each year. But SABR also holds several national conferences each year as well, and these are open to members and non-members alike:

• Annual Convention: The SABR national convention is an annual gathering of writers, researchers, fans, players, executives, scouts, and many others throughout the baseball community. The convention includes five days of activities and excursions, including dozens of research presentations, panel discussions and group trips to major league and minor league ballgames.

• SABR Analytics Conference: A 3-day event that brings together the top minds of the baseball analytic community to discuss, debate, and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. The schedule consists of guest speakers, panels, and research presentations.

• Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference: A symposium dedicated exclusively to the examination and promotion of Black baseball history.

• SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference: Co-sponsored by SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center, and hosted by Rockford University.

• Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference: Hosted by SABR’s Nineteenth Century Research Committee and focused on a wide range of 19th-century baseball topics, it includes research presentations, panel discussions, spotlight interviews, and more.

Batting Fifth: SABR Publications

So many SABR activities are inter-connected: the committees generate and guide some of the research work that SABR members conduct; the research work gets presented at both chapter meetings and national events; some of it turns into resources of one form or another—and this brings us to the fifth hitter in this lineup, a real slugger: SABR Publications.

I’ll admit, I don’t read cover-to-cover every SABR publication that comes out and is available to me as a member. No baseball fan, myself included, is equally interested in all aspects of the game. But I like having access to member-only SABR publications and knowing what is being produced each year. Many of them are collections of essays on a subject, written by a couple dozen baseball authors—great for getting different perspectives on a particular subject. Often available both as eBooks and in print, recent topics have included baseball in Canada, Roberto Clemente, Metropolitan Stadium, Jackie Robinson, baseball in Baltimore, and so on. These works tend to have a long-shelf life as well, so joining SABR now will open up an archive of SABR publications on a broad range of topics, at least some of which are sure to be of interest to you.

Batting Sixth: SABR Chartered Communities

Beyond the dozens of research committees listed above, SABR also has a half-dozen “chartered communities.” These are online communities, exclusive to SABR members, each centered on a particular theme:

• Baseball Memories: SABR members who share their passion and baseball memories with those dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia, with chronic medical issues or who are socially isolated and lonely.

• Baseball Necrology: An interactive discussion group for the exchange of information pertaining to the recent passing of figures from the baseball world—including players, managers, coaches, umpires, scouts, executives, broadcasters, writers and other notables from the major and minor leagues and collegiate baseball.

• Baseball Think Factory: A sabermetrically oriented website and discussion forum that features daily news stories with original content from baseball writers and fellow SABR members.

• Pandemic Baseball Book Club: A forum for baseball authors to discuss our books, our processes, and our high adventures in the world of baseball journalism through one-on-one author interviews, panel discussions, and the occasional Quarantined Author Happy Hour.

• Podcasters Clubhouse: a collaborative platform for sports podcasters to share information and ideas, provide advice and mentorship, and leverage SABR resources to create baseball content.

• SABR Trivia: Daily baseball trivia questions sent out by e-mail to subscribers.

Batting Seventh: SABR Member Directory

The SABR member directory is a searchable database of what you would expect: SABR member profiles. You can filter by location, by regional chapter membership, by committee membership, or by general keyword. Like many member-based societies and associations, the member directory is a great way to find people in your area or who share specific common interests.

Batting Eighth: SABR Podcasts and Virtual Events

I noted earlier that regional SABR chapters frequently hold virtual presentation meetings. But beyond those, there are several other digital SABR events that occur regularly, including SABRcast hosted by baseball journalist and best-selling author Rob Neyer; Ballpark Figures hosted by Chicago Tribune Deputy Senior Content Editor and baseball historian Shakeia Taylor; and Behind the Numbers hosted by NYU Professor and former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro. Podcasts and online events have exploded over the past three years, and we all have our favorites—but I encourage you to check these three out, including the archive of past episodes, and see if they might fit into your existing podcast routine.

Batting Ninth: SABR Weekly Member Newsletter

All baseball fans have their favorite websites, blogs, and newsletters. One of my favorites is the SABR member newsletter, This Week in SABR, which arrives in my email inbox every Friday and is a detailed description of all the latest events, publications, project updates, and more coming from the SABR community each week. It even includes a list of new members by name and location, and prominent articles written by SABR members recently. Although lengthy, I find this newsletter to be very easy to scan each week and I look forward to it every Friday. Thanks to Jacob Pomrenke for compiling This Week in SABR each week!

The Rest of the Roster: More SABR Benefits

No starting lineup, no matter how strong, forms a full baseball roster. The above starting-nine benefits of SABR membership and support are no different, as there are many other things that I could have mentioned. There are nearly a dozen annual SABR awards. Since 2013 there is the SABR Defensive Index, which in partnership with Rawlings and MLB, helps determine who wins the annual Gold Glove Awards. There is a baseball analytics certification available, as well as scholarships and internships. There is support, both in terms of formal resources as well as informal friendship, coaching, and mentoring, for new (student or otherwise) baseball researchers and writers. There is the longstanding SABR-L email list. And much more… certainly a solid bench and bullpen of SABR resources and benefits to round out anyone’s membership!