In the fall of 1924, the Cincinnati Reds baseball team played in–or at least traveled through–Welch, West Virginia, which is in the Cumberland Mountains.

Welch is the county seat of McDowell County and it was a fairly prosperous place in 1924. It was coal mining country and had a growing population of over 68,500. Since the decline of the coal mining industry, McDowell County has come on hard times. By 2020, the population dipped below 20,000 and today the county is plagued with poverty and drug abuse.

Nevertheless, the team found themselves there on October 8, 1924. They lined up in their uniforms for an official team photograph. For reasons I was unable to discern, the players are all wearing holstered pistols on their belts! I know rules in sports have changed over time, but I’m pretty sure this was never standard.

From WVculture.org

Why would baseball players need to be armed? My best guess is they want to discourage any questionable calls from a West Virginia umpire. A little insurance!  What do you make of it?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that packing heat during a competitive sports event seems like a bad idea.