‘The Fantastics’, or what we can learn from historical fiction

Abstract

In this article, the author illustrates the value of a historical narrative that provides readers with a lived experience based on carefully researched fiction. In particular, this practice-based research sought to answer the question, “What would it be like to attend the 1922 World Series alongside the sports journalists who were there to cover the games?” To research this article, the author read biographies of sports journalists who covered the World Series that year, along with their reports of the games. To add further historical detail, the author made use of newspaper accounts by other sports journalists, then used practice-led research to produce a novel as a creative response to the research question. Perhaps not surprisingly, the research led to insights about the nature of practising sports journalism in the early twentieth century. Another insight generated by the research revealed uncharacteristic errors and other anomalies that allowed the author to question the integrity of some of the players in the series. Given that there were no video or audio recordings of the series, this research fills that gap by bringing the sports journalism of a century ago to life through the writers who were present at the games. Image: World_Series_at_the_Polo_Grounds, NY, October 4, 1922 (Bain Collection). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922_World_Series#/media/File:No_Known_Restrictions_World_Series_at_the_Polo_Grounds,_NY,_October_4,1922,Bain_Collection(LOC)(453437813).jpg