For most sports fans there is nothing like opening day and a baseball field. In recent years I have over heard several people say Baseball is not the National Pastime or National Game any longer. When I query these people the typical response is Football is our new National pastime/game. Frank Deford (Nov 7, 2012) a writer for Sports Illustrated said, "Baseball is what we used to be. Football is what we have become." I refuse to believe this based on my knowledge of both games. In this paper we will exam the facts and I would submit to you that Baseball is still the National Pastime/Game and it cannot be disputed. Baseball was first introduced into the American culture, by English immigrants in the early 18th century, and its popularity slow grew. It wasn’t until the Civil War the popularity of the game spread, and both Union and Confederate soldiers played baseball during lulls in the fighting. After Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, soldiers from both the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) and the Army of the Potomac (Union) played baseball. (Schackelford Jul 4, 2009) This was the beginning of the American people love of Baseball began. It was also the first mention of baseball being the national game. During the bloodiest war in our countries history Baseball was there to help the two sides heal. It was another fourteen years till 1879 when Football would be invented. This game of a stick and ball has captivated the United States during good and bad times. In either time most of us today can remember stories of players from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. These are legendary figures in the sport of baseball that have are celebrated as hero’s and in scandal, i... ... middle of paper ... ...n.go.com/mlb/attendance/_/year/2013 ESPN.com. (Mar 20, 2014). NFL Attendance Report – 2013. Retrieve for this paper Mar 21, 2014 from, http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance Lesko, J. (2005). League History. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association. Retrieved for this paper Mar 20, 2014 from, http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/pages/league/12/league-history Schackelford, M. (Jul 4, 2009). The Importance of Sports in America. Retrieve for this paper Mar 20, 2014 from, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/211946-the-importance-of-sports-in-america Statistic Brain website. (Jan 1, 2014). NASCAR Racing Statistics. Retrieve for this paper Mar 21, 2014 from,http://www.statisticbrain.com/nascar-racing-statistics/ USA Baseball website. (Jun 6, 2012) About USA Baseball. Retrieve for this paper Mar 21, 2014 from, http://web.usabaseball.com/about/
Baseball has been of the longest living sports in our world today. The game started with the idea of a stick and ball and now has become one of the most complex sports known in our society. Several rules and regulations have been added to help enhance the game for everyone. Although baseball has endured several issues during its history and development of the game the game has still been a success throughout the world.
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game, but Which One?” by Tim Chabot is an essay that is very effective at comparing and contrasting basketball and baseball during the 1900s. Chabot’s thesis is very clear. He ends his introductory paragraph with the question of whether basketball should take the place of baseball and become the national sport.
1910 to 1920 was the one of the greatest decades for Major League Baseball. Many amazing events occurred during this decade; although, some devastating and extremely sad events also occurred. Half of these years were taken up by war, even many Hall of Fame players served. This decade still ended up being a great one for Major League Baseball. From Hall of Fame greats to Negro League pitchers, this decade produced greats. The 1910’s also set up the 1920’s for amazing players too.
Baseball to my way of thinking, is the greatest single force working for Americanization. No other game appeals so much to the foreign born youngsters and nothing, not even the schools, teaches the American spirit so quickly, or inculcates the idea of sportsmanship or fair play as thoroughly.
[3] Baseball then expanded itself and moved on to integrating young men of “means and social positions.” In the 1850’s, baseball had a tremendous power that engaged many people from the East Coast part of the country. It got artisans, tradesmen, and shipwrights to form teams and play against each other. These teams of working men played against other teams that were made up of socialites. Within these club teams, though, there was a lot of disagreement because the people who used to partake in these games were mainly from the New York and Massachusetts areas. There were many discrepancies between the New York rules and the Massachusetts rules. This then led to the founding of the National Association of Baseball Players on March 10, 1858.
What has changed the way America’s pastime is looked at forever and prompt worldwide discussion? Joe Jackson and his seven teammates changed the face of baseball forever during the intimate scandal of 1919. No other time in baseball history did Americans question the state of the game. Pete Rose had also brought a debate like no other before in baseball. Since his banishment in 1989 the country has been split on the issue. Gambling by these men and others has caused great problems in baseball. The game of baseball has been destroyed by gambling.
I chose to explore the Negro Baseball League to form an understanding of how the league was formed, the league's economic and social impact on the African American communities, and on the United States of America. In this paper, I will explore this tremendous impact that has forever changed the American culture, views and attitudes. This exploration will consist of reviewing different documented sources from players, fans and historians. Through these documented resources, I will also research was caused the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Negro Baseball League.
“America’s favorite pastime” is undisputedly baseball. Ever since the start of baseball in the United States in the late 1700s, baseball has been a game enjoyed by the majority of America. Baseball has not only had a profound effect on the United States but has spread its reach into foreign lands. Perhaps the most effected by baseball’s foreign outreach is the Caribbean. The Caribbean (mainly Cuba and the Dominican Republic) have embraced baseball as a way to a better life.
As a faithful follower and player of American Baseball, this topic was of extreme interest to me. The origins and history of a lifestyle that I have dedicated the overwhelming majority of my life to has always caught my attention. Baseball, being America’s national sport, is a crucial illustration to understand when discussing the overall societal circumstances at that time. One of baseball’s most important tasks was integrating the sport and allowing people of every ethnicity to have a chance to play the sport at an equal playing field. Although we now know that the efforts to desegregate baseball were ultimately a success, to what extent were the efforts a direct success during that time period? Did the unification of different ethnicities in America’s national sport have an effect on the amount of time desegregat...
Addona, Dan D’. "SABR." Baseball's Forgotten Era: The '80s. N.p., 2011. Web. 13 May 2014. .
Lanctot, Neil. 2004. Negro league baseball :The rise and ruin of a black institution. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Spring is full of transformations and changes. Flowers blossom, the temperature rises, and those with allergies begin a long journey of pain and agony. The start of spring also brings with it the beginning of baseball and softball. By carefully analyzing two teams representative of each sport at the University of Arizona a sociological analysis based on the similarities and differences between the sports was conducted. Despite the relative similarities between the two sports a number of differences were also identified showing that both sports are interconnected with cultural aspects and elements that may not immediately be observed on the surface.
“Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world” -Babe Ruth. Baseball is one of America’s most popular sports, and it is said to be the best in the world by one of, if not the most popular and well known athletes in American History. Babe Ruth is the player that if a non-baseball fan was asked who they knew from the sport, they would say Babe Ruth. He is also very well known for being one of America’s most successful athletes, and he agrees that baseball is the best sport in the world. Despite the fact that one of the most iconic American figures states that baseball will never cease to be the greatest sport in the world, people argue today that the sport is nothing compared to what it used to be. To an extent, this statement
Shattuck, Debra (2011). “Women’s baseball in the 1860s: Reestablishing a historical memory.” Nine,19(2), 1-26. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/nine/vo19 /19.2.shattuck.html
Crafting the national pastime's image: The history of major league baseball public relations William B Anderson. Journalism and Communication Monographs. Columbia: Spring 2003. Vol. 5, Iss. 1; pg. 5