Re Release: History of Spring Training

Re Release: History of Spring Training

From Sports Deep Dive by therogersharrison

February 25, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

This episode explores the intriguing history of Spring Training in baseball, highlighting its origins and evolution.

Ever wonder why we send 30 baseball teams to the desert and the beach every February? ⚾️☀️ I recently took a deep dive into the fascinating (and often weird) history of Spring Training. It wasn’t always multi-million dollar complexes and Gatorade. In this episode, I look back at: The "Birthplace": Why Hot Springs, Arkansas, was the original mecca before Florida and Arizona took over. The Legends: From Cap Anson’s "health camps" to the Dodgers moving west The Shift: How a desire to escape Jim Crow laws in the South actually helped birth the Cactus League in Arizona. Spring Training is about more than just getting in shape—it’s about the hope of a new season.

People in this episode

Host: therogersharrison

Topics covered

  • Spring Training
  • Baseball History
  • Cactus League
  • Jim Crow Laws
  • Sports Culture

Keywords

  • Spring Training
  • baseball
  • Hot Springs
  • Cactus League
  • sports history
  • Cap Anson
  • Dodgers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dodgers

Places: Hot Springs, Arkansas, Florida, Arizona

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