Question: Why did Jim Thorpe play baseball in North Carolina?
Answer: It was common during the early 20th century for amateur athletes to earn money playing baseball for semi-professional leagues. In 1909 and 1910, Jim Thorpe, a track and football star at the U.S. Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, played baseball in the Eastern Carolina League for the Rocky Mount Railroaders and Fayetteville Highlanders, earning $60 per month—equivalent to about $2,000 per month in 2023 dollars.
