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Baseball HOF Legends Explain If They Supported Their Kids Playing Professionally
Some of the biggest figures in the game from a century ago had interesting reasons why and why not they believed their sons should pursue the big leagues
Becoming a big-league baseball player is no easy task. There are many talented players out there, and as one continues to rise up the ranks of organized ball, the sport rapidly picks off those who just aren’t quite good enough to keep going. Some major league players want their offspring to join them in the family business, while others feel completely opposite based on their personal experiences. In 1929, a journalist questioned some of the biggest names in baseball to see if they would support their sons deciding to play professionally, and got some surprising answers.
In the May 22, 1929 issue of The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana), Henry L. Farrell dug into the question of whether or not professional ballplayers were supportive of their progeny following in their footsteps, specifically because he noted how few instances occurred in the past where the son was anywhere as good as the father.
The first former player Farrell referred to was legendary pitcher Christy Mathewson. He recalled a…
