When I began playing the game, baseball was about as gentlemanly as a kick in the crotch.

The elder Cobb subsequently traveled to the Princeton campus and beat his son with a whip to ensure against future academic failure. Reputed violence and racism
As the Smithsonian Magazine has stated "Violent confrontations were a recurring theme in Cobb’s life" while "stories of Cobb’s racial intolerance were well-documented. Ty Cobb's legacy also includes legions of collectors of his early tobacco card issues as well as game used memorabilia and autographs.

Cobb's legacy as an athlete has sometimes been overshadowed by his surly temperament and aggressive playing style which was described by the Detroit Free Press as "daring to the point of dementia. He was born in The Narrows Georgia a small rural community of farmers that was not an official city or village at the time. He still holds several records as of 2013 including the highest career batting average (.