On Aug. 26, 1939, the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers played each other in New York. It was a relatively standard game, except for one thing: It was the first MLB game on TV, ever.
The broadcast was effectively a stunt to demonstrate the new, exciting technology of the day—while baseball is easier to follow over the radio than other sports, seeing it played from far away was novel. It was aired while New York was hosting the World’s Fair (what used to be a huge, global event to show off the latest in technology and culture), showcasing just how advanced the U.S. was in broadcast tech.
To a modern viewer, the broadcast wouldn’t have been especially exciting. The ball was impossible to see during play and there were only two cameras. But to eyes that hadn’t ever seen a live game on TV before, it was life changing. Read more here.
