Podcast Summary: “Remembering Hockey Star Hobey Baker”

All Of It (WNYC) – June 24, 2024
Host: Koosha Navadar
Guest: Andy Reynolds, Executive Producer of Searching for Hobey Baker (ESPN’s 30 for 30)

Overview

This episode dives into the legacy of Hobey Baker, one of America’s earliest sports superstars and the namesake of college hockey’s Hobey Baker Award. Host Koosha Navadar is joined by Andy Reynolds, executive producer of the podcast Searching for Hobey Baker, to explore Baker’s athletic achievements, his personal life—including new evidence about his sexuality—and how his story challenges cultural notions of sportsmanship, masculinity, and LGBTQ+ representation in sports.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Hobey Baker’s Early Life and Upbringing

• Sociocultural Roots:
  • Baker was born in late 1800s Philadelphia to a family on the edge of high society—his father's upholstery business thrived with the nascent car industry but collapsed in 1907 (03:06).
  • He attended St. Paul’s School, a cradle of American hockey, where he excelled not just in hockey but in several sports (03:38).
• Athletic Development:
  • At St. Paul’s, Baker took advantage of ideal ice conditions and became a standout, reportedly practicing alone in the dark to master puck control (03:56).

College Career and Celebrity Status

• In the early 1900s, Ivy League football and hockey were national obsessions—Baker was both a football and hockey star at Princeton, likened to "Tom Brady and Michael Jordan... and then eventually, like a Pat Tillman sporting war hero" (05:03).
• Newspapers of the time, such as The New York Times and Boston Globe, chronicled his games in detail, elevating him to near-mythic status ("it was always Hobey Baker and the rest of the Princeton team..." — Andy Reynolds, 07:43).
• Innovations:
  • Baker invented modern hockey skate sharpening—having skate corners rounded for enhanced agility, a lasting change to the sport (07:43).
  • He "invented the post-game handshake," according to the NHL, demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship (12:19).

Baker’s Personal Character

• Humility and Decency:
  • Despite media attention, Baker disliked being singled out and prioritized team accolades over individual fame (07:43).
  • "He always looked out for everybody else... his generosity, his lack of arrogance, his lack of ego." — Andy Reynolds (11:24)
  • The criteria for the Hobey Baker Award include skill and sportsmanship, reflecting Baker’s legacy (12:19).

Family Sacrifices & Princeton Guilt

• Post-1907 financial crash, only one Baker brother could attend college—the older brother, Thornton, gave up his spot for Hobey to go to Princeton (10:24).
• This gesture left a deep impression on Hobey, contributing to his selflessness (11:24).

A Restless Post-Collegiate Life

• After Graduation:
  • Baker found post-athletic life unfulfilling, working at a menial job for J.P. Morgan that left him "feeling trapped" (13:25).
  • Like many of his Lost Generation peers, he longed for adventure and joined World War I as a pilot (13:25).

Queer History: Baker & Percy Rivington Pine

• Roommate and More:
  • After moving to New York, Baker lived with fellow Princetonian Percy Rivington Pine II, a wealthy playboy known for Gatsby-esque parties (15:52).
  • The podcast presents compelling evidence—letters, shared life, and analysis by historians—that Baker and Percy were lovers (15:52).
    • "Clearly they're in a relationship. Clearly they are lovers. Clearly they're deeply affectionate." — Andy Reynolds (15:52)
  • This relationship took place in a period with different attitudes toward sexuality—a “glass closet” that historians are only now unpacking (15:52).
  • Letters from Percy to Hobey disappeared mysteriously, suggesting deliberate erasure or avoidance in later biographical accounts (15:52).

Military Heroics

• War Service:
  • Baker learned to fly to enlist in World War I, becoming a squadron commander in France.
  • “Life expectancy as a World War I pilot was a matter of weeks... This is only 13, 14 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight.” — Andy Reynolds (19:40)
  • He was credited with downing three enemy planes—a feat reported on American front pages (21:14).
• Baker’s celebrity followed him to the battlefield, but he was ultimately killed during the war, under circumstances discussed further in the podcast (21:14).

Legacy and LGBTQ+ Representation in Sports

• Enduring Impact:
  • The revelation of Baker’s same-sex relationship is particularly powerful for LGBTQ+ youth and players in a sport still marked by homophobia (21:39).
  • "The icon of this sport was somebody who was a same sex loving man, a gay potentially bisexual, but probably gay man... you should accept that you can have great heroes in your sport that love the sport and you should love them back." — Andy Reynolds (21:39)
  • Despite thousands of NHL players, none have felt able to come out publicly, making Baker’s story especially relevant (21:39).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hobey’s Stardom:
  • "He’s like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan. And then eventually, like a Pat Tillman sporting war hero, he's sort of all these celebrities wrapped into one."
    — Andy Reynolds (05:03)
• On His Innovations:
  • "He got his trainer to shave down the corners of his skates to make them rounded... that is the standard now for hockey players today."
    — Andy Reynolds (07:43)
• On His Character:
  • “He always looked out for everybody else, the fans he was incredibly gracious with, and he always wanted to put front and center his teammates and not him.”
    — Andy Reynolds (11:24)
• On Queer Identity and Historical Context:
  • “Clearly they're in a relationship. Clearly they are lovers. Clearly they're deeply affectionate...that space for same sex love at that time was much larger than we perceive today.”
    — Andy Reynolds (15:52)
  • “The icon of this sport was somebody who was a same sex loving man, a gay potentially bisexual, but probably gay man."
    — Andy Reynolds (21:39)

Important Timestamps

• [02:57] — Introduction to Hobey Baker, his background, and new podcast
• [03:06] — Early family background and schooling
• [03:38] — St. Paul’s School as cradle of American hockey
• [05:03] — Princeton years and national celebrity
• [07:43] — Media coverage, innovations in hockey, true sportsmanship
• [10:24] — Family sacrifices and impact of financial collapse
• [11:24] — Lasting marks of family choices and Baker’s decency
• [12:19] — Origination of post-game handshake
• [13:25] — Post-college disillusionment, ties to the Lost Generation
• [15:52] — The romance and partnership with Percy Rivington Pine II
• [19:40] — World War I service and reputation as a hero
• [21:39] — Discussing Baker’s legacy for LGBTQ+ inclusion

Conclusion

This episode of All of It offers a nuanced portrait of Hobey Baker: not only a sports pioneer but an emblem of compassion, modesty, and perhaps romantic courage that transcends his era. Andy Reynolds’s research and the Searching for Hobey Baker podcast are compelling resources for sports historians, LGBTQ+ advocates, and anyone interested in the broader cultural stories behind our sporting heroes.