Woodrow Wilson: The President Who Loved Baseball

/

When we think of Woodrow Wilson, we typically picture the stern academic who led America through World War I, or the visionary who championed the League of Nations. But there was another side to our 28th president, he was a devoted baseball fan whose love for the game shaped his life from childhood through his final days.

From Schoolboy Doodles to the Diamond

“The First Known Wilson Documents,” The Papers of Woodrow Wilson, vol. 1, p. 5

“The First Known Wilson Documents,” The Papers of Woodrow Wilson, vol. 1, p. 5

Wilson's passion for baseball began remarkably early. In 1870, when he was just a schoolboy, Wilson filled the margins of his geography textbook with sketches, not just of greyhounds and hot air balloons, but of a baseball diamond and the lineups of the Light Foot Base Ball Club of Augusta, Georgia. As second baseman and club secretary of this team, young Wilson was already deeply invested in America's growing pastime.

By spring 1874, Wilson was playing center field for Davidson College's Fighting Wildcats. A former teammate later recalled that Wilson "was a good ballplayer, but he was too confounded lazy to make a star," noting that they'd have to drag him away from his books to get him to practice. When Wilson transferred to Princeton, he failed to make the varsity team but served as assistant manager instead, staying connected to the sport he loved.

A President at the Ballpark

Wilson's enthusiasm for baseball only grew during his presidency. In 1913, his first year in office, he attended four games in April alone, still a record for any president in that month. He threw out the first pitch on Opening Day that year when the Washington Senators played the New York Yankees, who were appearing under that name for the first time.

On October 9, 1915, Wilson became the first president ever to attend a World Series game, watching the Philadelphia Phillies face the Boston Red Sox. He was accompanied by Edith Bolling Galt, a woman he had recently begun courting (and would soon marry). Though he had a presidential lifetime pass, Wilson characteristically insisted on paying for his tickets—a small gesture that reflected his principled nature.

Clark Griffith, the Senators' owner, later ranked Wilson alongside Warren G. Harding as the greatest presidential baseball enthusiasts, noting that they "followed baseball closely and came to the park often". Joe Judge, the Senators' longtime first baseman, agreed, stating in 1933 that "Woodrow Wilson was by far the best fan".

Wilson's devotion to the game even influenced the 1916 presidential campaign. Ty Cobb, one of baseball's greatest stars, publicly campaigned for Wilson's re-election, declaring: "Next to Hughie Jennings, manager of the Detroit team, I consider Woodrow Wilson the greatest American".

Baseball as Refuge

Perhaps the most poignant chapter of Wilson's relationship with baseball came after he left office. Suffering from strokes that left him partially paralyzed, Wilson found solace in the game. By arrangement with Clark Griffith, he would be driven to Griffith Stadium through a special gate, his car parked by the home bullpen with the top down so he could watch. Secret Service agents and players would protect him from foul balls, and regardless of the score, he always stayed until the end.

As author Curt Smith noted, "Wilson's fidelity to the sport, a pastime that returned his love, gave him something to live for”. Even as his health failed, Wilson maintained his devotion to baseball until his death on February 3, 1924, just months after receiving a sterling silver season pass to the Polo Grounds from the New York Giants.

A Democratic Game

For Wilson, baseball represented more than entertainment. He saw it as a fundamentally American institution—a meritocratic arena where skill and determination mattered more than background or privilege. From the schoolboy sketches in his geography book to the car parked by the bullpen in his final years, Woodrow Wilson's life was intertwined with baseball. In a presidency marked by war, progressive reform, and international diplomacy, the game remained his constant companion, a source of joy, refuge, and connection to the American people he served. You can see more images of President Wilson watching baseball games at the Library of Congress. The National Baseball Hall of Fame has more general exhibit about presidents and baseball.