"It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!"
About this Quote
The subtext is leadership without sermonizing. He doesn't demand hustle or lecture teammates about character. He performs joy as a strategy, making enthusiasm contagious. Coming from a Cubs star on teams that often didn't give fans October memories, the phrase becomes even sharper: if winning isn't guaranteed, you can still control the spirit you bring to the park. It's optimism without naivete, an emotional contract with the crowd: we'll make this worth your time.
Culturally, it captures an older baseball ideal that still plays in highlight reels and sitcom references: the sport as everyday companionship, something you do again because you liked it the first time. Banks, a Black superstar in a city and era full of limits, also models a kind of public sunniness that reads as both genuine and hard-won. The line endures because it makes joy sound like a choice - and makes that choice feel heroic in its simplicity.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sports |
|---|---|
| Source | Ernie Banks — biography, National Baseball Hall of Fame (Hall of Famers entry); notes Banks' famous line "Let's play two." |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Banks, Ernie. (2026, January 17). It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two! FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-a-beautiful-day-for-a-ballgame-lets-play-two-57364/
Chicago Style
Banks, Ernie. "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!" FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-a-beautiful-day-for-a-ballgame-lets-play-two-57364/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!" FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-a-beautiful-day-for-a-ballgame-lets-play-two-57364/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.



