Play Ball! How Baseball Helped Power Teamwork at AEP

Major League Baseball began last week with an excitement that renews each year since its founding in 1903. The popularity of baseball in the early 1900s was such that many companies sponsored teams that competed in local "industrial leagues."

These teams strengthened teamwork, morale and loyalty among employees, and were a source of community pride. Games were well attended and often included teams arriving by parades.

AEP was formed as American Gas & Electric (AGE) in 1906. Many of the early AGE plants had baseball teams. The AEP history book Boundless Energy notes:

"Baseball was the real thing," said Ron Marshall, a 10-year veteran of Windsor [Plant]. "It was rumored - but also true to a great extent - that ability as a baseball player determined employment of new applicants." When the Windsor team squared off with its AGE counterparts at the Philo Plant, Canton, Wheeling or the Valley Camp Coal teams, the games were highlights of the season.