World War 1 had already been raging for three years before the United States entered the war. In the spring of 1917, the British decoded a secret message from Arthur Zimmerman, the German Foreign Secretary, to the government of Mexico. The Zimmerman note urged Mexico to declare war on the United States. Once America was defeated, Germany would insist on peace terms that would force the United States to return Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Mexico.
That seemed to be the tipping point for the American public, which previous to that event had been strongly opposed to entering the war. In fact, President Wilson had been re-elected in 1916 because of his promise to stay out of it. Shortly after the memo became public, President Wilson spoke before a joint session of Congress. On April 2, 1917, less than one month after beginning his second term in office, he asked Congress to declare war on Germany to keep the world “safe for democracy.” The Congress obliged.
The war didn't immediately affect the national pastime. (Photo: President Wilson throwing out the first pitch). At first the American public rallied around the flag, and enlistment in the Army was robust. On July 27, 1917, the Cubs did their part too. They booked a demonstration at Wrigley by Canadian Highlanders to encourage recruiting. Recruiting booths were set up around the ballpark to facilitate the process.
By 1918, the times had changed. Baseball was hit hard by the war. Some of the greatest players were shipped out. Cubs pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander was among them. He reported for duty on April 30th. (Photo: Alexander in uniform)
Even though attendance dipped to an all-time low, play continued, and the Cubs were having a great, if tempestuous year. On Memorial Day, with our American boys fighting in Europe, the Cubs had a huge fist fight on the field. Cubs catcher Bill Killefer got into an argument about a foul ball with Greasy Neale of the Reds. It escalated quickly into a fight. Neale pinned Killefer to the ground and was punching his face mercilessly when Hippo Vaughn stepped in to stop the fight. It took most of Greasy's teammates to get him back into the dugout. The Cubs won the game, but Killefer lost a healthy nose.
The Cubs kept on winning, although fewer people turned out to see the games. By then Wrigley Field (still known as Cubs Park) had become a dangerous place for "slackers" (men who hadn't yet registered for military service). They didn't just take your tickets at the gate, federal agents were standing by to check everyone's registration card to make sure there were no draft dodgers attending the games. Anyone of draft age who didn't have a card was held for investigation. Scores of fans were led directly to military bases and inducted into the service.
The government crackdown continued across the country. All draft-age men were told that they had until September 1st to find an essential job or they were going into the armed services (by then the draft ages were 18-45). President Wilson ruled that baseball wasn’t considered essential, so MLB voluntarily shortened the season to 140 games, and ended it on September 1st. The President gave a two-week waiver to any players playing in the World Series.
Without September games to lose, the Cubs made the World Series, and faced the Boston Red Sox. Despite the pomp and ceremony of the World Series, there was never a moment that the cities of Boston or Chicago didn't realize they were a nation at war. 60 airplanes flew over the ballpark in formation--the very first flyover in history--and fans oohed and aahed.
In addition to the war, the world was in the midst of a flu pandemic. Thousands of people were dying every day. People were urged not to go to public places where they could contract the disease. This helped keep attendance down for the series as well. Many spectators actually wore masks to protect themselves.
Needless to say, the Cubs lost the 1918 World Series.
The Army did much better. On November 11, 1918, the Great War, now known as World War 1, finally ended. 16 million people died in that war, including more than 200,000 Americans.
Very few baseball players saw combat, but one of them was Grover Cleveland Alexander, who was never quite the same after that.
In 1919, baseball returned to it's former status. By the time the next World War occurred just over twenty years later, the sport would be treated very differently by the President and the nation at large.
