Baseball

The Israelite House of David was known all over North America during the first half of the twentieth century for its barnstorming baseball teams entertaining generations of fans with their offbeat looks and humorous antics.  Along with many other businesses run by the colony, the ball teams provided much-needed income to support the commune. The Israelite ball players took to the road just before World War I, touring the country and playing exhibition games against the best local and regional amateur and semi-pro ball clubs of the era. 

The House of David baseball team in Hot Springs AR, taken March 30, 1929. 

The 1928 House of David baseball entitled 'Champions of Berrien County & S.W. Michigan'. 

House of David baseball team in front of Blatz Brewing's in Milwaukee, WI.

Paul L. Mooney 

The 1920s were the House of David baseball team’s glory years when the Israelite ballers became a full-fledged sports phenomenon. The squad was known for its aggressive, flashy, fast, and entertaining style of play that used strategic bunts, steals and double steals, and bent-leg slides. 


The press loved the House of David team and wrote glowingly of their playing and entertaining antics. Particularly popular with audiences were displays of the team’s famous ‘Pepper Game’ that evolved into an extended three-man comedy routine. The long hair and beards of the Israelite players became the team’s signature gimmick, visually setting them apart from other teams, and played up in advertisements and news stories. 


In 1930, the House of David split into two rival Christian Israelite communes. A settlement was reached in which both colonies retained the right to field professional baseball teams using the House of David name. This led to multiple House of David teams touring simultaneously in the 1930s, made up of squads of mostly hired minor league players who grew beards rather than members. The House of David teams from the original colony remained active through the 1940s, while the City of David’s squad toured until 1956.  


Written by Brian Carroll, PhD., 2024


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