Fanatics, Drums, and Hired Horns
Baseball at the turn of the twentieth century featured a wide variety of characters, both on and off the field, that shaped the game for many years to come. Fanatical "rooters" often added so much color to the experience that they helped to sway the outcome of games via their loud, boisterous chants. In many major league cities, local bands were organized or hired in order to amplify the rooters' energetic shouts and songs.