As the self-proclaimed and generally acknowledged national pastime, baseball has generally tried its best to maintain an intimate relationship with American culture and the American nation. Major events affecting the country had an impact on the game, and in every major national crisis, the high priests and acolytes of the major league establishment sought to identify baseball as a patriotic institution of pure Americanism. At times this has proved difficult and at times it has provoked excess, but it has always been somehow possible. National crises of any kind had an impact on the game. War was one such crisis. Before the twentieth century, there was no necessary connection between baseball and war because baseball had not yet gained a high profile in the mass media. But once baseball became enmeshed in the same news-making machinery that covered wars, its own response to the nation's wars became more explicit.

In times of war the baseball establishment has sought first to protect its investment – including its players – and at the same time to maintain its claims to the title “national pastime” by supporting war with expressions of patriotism. These two goals have not always been compatible, and have sometimes resulted in conflicting public and private policies. Moreover, public reaction to policies in earlier wars has affected the policies pursued by baseball in later ones. Through the decades and with the growing awareness of public relations, the baseball establishment has become more sophisticated in its manipulation of its public image, while simultaneously protecting its investment in players.