Hillside Fields: A History of Sports in West Virginia by Bob Barnett (review)

In his work Hillside Fields: A History of Sports in West Virginia, sports historian Bob Barnett creates a record of the importance of sports in West Virginia. While preservation of the wins and losses is important, Barnett takes the work to a new level of analysis by arguing that sports were indicative of life in the state. He notes: “[N]ot only were sports influenced by the major events and ideas shaping the nation, but sports in West Virginia were also strongly influenced by the unique geographical, economic, demographic, and political conditions of the state” (xiv). Barnett stresses that many of the issues that were, and still are, important in West Virginia not only shaped the state itself, but also impacted the sports that were important to Mountaineers. Sports, an important aspect of culture and history, can provide important insights into the impact of specific events on the people and society of a region. Barnett does a fine job of establishing this connection in West Virginia.

For example, Barnett discusses the importance of baseball in West Virginia. For many years baseball was the most popular and important sport in the state, primarily because it was the first sport to be organized throughout the country. Barnett’s focus is mainly on minor league baseball as well as the great success of the West Liberty State College baseball team in 1964. Culturally, baseball was important in the state’s coalfields because it created a true sense of community for the miners of the region as well as played a part in welfare capitalism. Although the causes for the popularity of baseball are not a significant focus of Barnett’s book, he does an adequate job in discussing the importance of amateur baseball in the state.

Barnett’s discussion of the African American high school basketball tournament is another sports’ topic that parallels the general history of the state. Like many other states, West Virginia had a segregated school system. Barnett’s section on the segregated basketball tournament pointedly demonstrates that, for decades, African American schools were the focal point of the black community. Barnett also does a fine job discussing the impact of the loss of these schools. Many African American coaches found themselves demoted to assistant coach positions or they lost their jobs. Black teachers and administrators fared similarly. For many, the loss of their schools was a blow that the community could never overcome. As Barnett noted: “[F]or both blacks and whites in West Virginia, the small-town high schools and the churches represented the focal points of community life. Segregation tended to tighten that focus for African Americans” (117).

Barnett has provided scholars of West Virginia and the greater Appalachian region an invaluable resource for exploring the sports history of the area. A few issues detract from the work, including factual errors, such as, “Alderson-Broaddus College is located in the picturesque town of Philippi, West Virginia, in what was once the coal mining section of Fayette County,” when, in actuality, Philippi is in Barbour County, but such errors do not diminish the usefulness of the book (237). Students and scholars of Appalachian or sport history will benefit immensely from Barnett’s effort.