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Informative essay on history of baseball
Essay about the beginning of baseball
Informative essay on history of baseball
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History Of Baseball
Baseball is a game of ball between two nine-player teams played usually for nine innings on a field that has as a focal point a diamond-shaped infield with a home plate and three other bases, 90 ft. (27 m) apart, forming a circuit that must be completed by a base runner in order to score, the central offensive action entailing hitting of a pitched ball with a wooden or metal bat and running of the bases, the winner being the team scoring the most runs.
The earliest known mention of baseball in the United States was in a 1792 pittsfield. Another early reference reports that "base ball" was regularly played on Saturdays on the outskirts of New York City in 1823. The first team to play baseball under modern rules were the New York Knickerbockers. The club was founded on September, 1845, as a social club for the upper middle classes of New York City, and was strictly amateur until its disbandment. But the game was played by Knickerbocker Rules. For example, now a days you have to tag someone are throw them out by getting the ball there before the player from the other team gets there will get them out. But Knickerbocker Rules, a fielder could put a runner out by hitting the runner with the thrown ball. Writing the rules didn't help the Knickerbockers in the first known competitive game between two clubs under the new rules, played at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1846. The self-styled "New York Nine" humbled the Knickerbockers by a score of 23 to 1. The Knickerbocker Rules were adopted by teams in the New York area and their version of baseball became known as the "New York Game".
In 1857, sixteen New York area clubs, including the Knickerbockers, formed the National Association of base ball Players or NABBP. The NABBP was the first organization to govern the sport and to establish a championship. Aided by the Civil War, membership grew to almost 100 clubs by 1865 and to over 400 by 1867 , including clubs from as far away as California. During the Civil war, soldiers from different parts of the United States met, and played baseball, leading to a more unified national version of the sport. Beginning in 1869 , the NABBP permitted professional play, addressing a growing practice that had not been permitted under its rules to that point.
By the 1950’s the New York Yankees had already experienced previous decades of glory and high levels of success over the rest of Major League Baseball. However, the 50’s had began a new decade of a higher level of dominance. The Yankees were supported by big name players like Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio and a younger, less-experienced pitching staff. In this storied decade the Bronx Bombers were able to win eight American League Pennants and six World Series. (Yankees Baseball)
Rader states that baseball was founded by Abner Doubleday in 1839 at Cooperstown, New York. In the next couple decades, the game developed the simple concept of bases. After having bases introduced into the game, the kids in bigger cities started club based teams which played each other. These teams started to develop a personal passion and respect for baseball which led them to adopt written rules. He conveys the idea of fellowship within the team and how the players celebrated all aspects of the game. He gives an example of a club team called the New York Knickerbockers and how they celebrated with their opponents and teammates whether they won or l...
Segregation was sweeping the nation throughout the 1800s, but did not reach baseball until 1890. As Jim Crow laws were gradually becoming instituted across the union, baseball took on the character trait “separate but equal” (Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Major League Baseball). By the end of the 19th century, African Americans were rejected by organized teams and the color barrier of baseball was established.After many failed attempts in creating a black league, Andrew “Rube” Foster finally succeeded in 1920 (Negro League History 101-An Introduction to the Negro Leagues). On February 12, eight clubs were founded that made up the Negro National League (Light 624). Three years later teams from Atlantic City, Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore were added to form the Eastern League. In 1937, the Negro American League joined the Eastern League to make up the two separate leagues of the Negro National League (Dixon and Hannigan 21).
Impact: Alexander Cartwright’s changes made the game faster-paced and more challenging while setting it apart from games like cricket and rounders. In 1846, the Knickerbockers (Cartwright’s team) played the first official game of baseball against a team of cricket players, beginning a new, uniquely American tradition. In a matter of years, baseball became a professional
Right now in America, the world of sports is constantly changing and growing to make the sports safer and fairer. People want sports to be as exciting and thrilling as before, but without the human error that may turn some baseball fans away. Along with this fear, people also want every sport to be as fair as possible, and by doing this most sports have incorporated an instant replay rule. This spring will be the first that the review rule will be in effect, it is a radical decision and game changing because baseballs history is so rich and its structured has not been changed in so long. These changes are not without skepticism though because people believe that the game has been so successful and before being “fair” was not the biggest priority of the game. By adding this rule, baseball’s fairness will be protected in a way it was not previously, but this set of rules is not without skepticism by people who believe there is nothing wrong with the game now.
The rules of baseball and softball are extremely complex, so only the basics are necessary to distinguish the sports. In both sports the primary rule is to advance the runner around the bases to home plate when the ball is hit. In baseball stealing the bases is another way to advance the runner, but this is not permitted in softball because the ball must be hit before a runner can leave the base. Baseball requires nine innings to complete a game, and softball only requires seven. The softball player is out if the last hit is a foul ball, while the baseball player stays at the plate until another strike is called or hits successfully. As one can see, a player that switches games must familiarize himself with the difference in the rules to succeed.
In a more focused sense, the Negro Leagues were an alternative league all in its own. It was primarily established for African Americans so they could play baseball, since they were prohibited from experiencing any type or activity with whites. The reason this league was separate was because of the Jim Crow laws that had been enacted during the early 1900's, but in an opinionated note, I feel that whites simply didn't want to be outdone by their counterparts - African Americans. They basically stated that African Americans could not participate in any activity with whites, whether it is of public or unsocial nature. These laws displayed the mentality of the time, which inevitably filtered into the realm of baseball; at this point, segregation had gone so far as to prohibit any blacks from merely playing baseball with whites. It was not until 1933, when "a former pitcher, Andrew 'Rube' Foster, formed the first black league, called the Negro National League, which contained such teams as the St. Louis Stars, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Philadelphia Stars, New York Lincoln Giants, and the Newark Eagles." Then, "in 1937, the Negro American League was formed to rival the opposing Negro National League that consisted of the Memphis Red Sox, Kansas City Monarchs, Cleveland Buckeyes, Detroit Stars, and the Hilldale Daisies." (What Are…Leagues: Internet) The two leagues "continued to go strong until the color line was broken in 1947, when the great Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers." Because of this, "…the Negro National League folded following the 1948 season and the Negro American League [folded]…in 1960." (What Are…Leagues: Internet) Moreover, just...
A team of players usually ranges from ten to forty players depending on how many people join the squad. The field consists of nine players on defense, as well as one batter at the plate playing offense. Of those nine players on the field, three play deep in the outfield (right, left, and center) who look to catch a ball hit in the air and get it back to the infield as quickly and efficiently as possible; if the ball drops then their goal is to hurry to the ball and get it back to the infield as quickly and efficiently as possible before the runner (after the ball is hit and the player gets on base because the ball wasn’t caught in the air, his title changes from a batter/hitter into a runner) advances to the next base.
Baseball is not a difficult game to comprehend, but it can a very long time to achieve a high level of performance. Usually one starts playing this game at a very young age and the first thing they start out with is throwing. Throwing a baseball involves exploiting all major muscle groups in the body to generate a large torque on the arm that will in turn create a high potential for speed when it is released.
For the better part of the 20th century, African American baseball players played under unequal opportunity. On one side of the field, European descendants were given a license to play this children's game for money and national fame. While on the other side of the field, African slave descendants were also given a license to play - as long as they didn't encroach upon the leagues of the Caucasians. What was left over for African American player in terms of riches was meager at best. Though the fortune wasn't there, the love and fame within the African American communities made the players of the Negro Baseball League legends.
One of the most iconic names in baseball is the team name “New York Yankees”, and along with it have come some equally as famous players. The Yankees have had so much talent come through their stadium, names including Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra and Mickie Mantle to name a few. Though there are several arguments about who the greatest players of the game are it is no question who the top ten are from the New York team. Based on up to date career statistics these players have a ninety year span of talent between them. These players may not have top score in all parts of the game but they have all set certain records that either have yet to be broken or held for a longer time than most students have been alive.
Support: In History website (Who invented Baseball),March 27, 2013. The closest ancestor to baseball would be two games from new england which were “rounders and cricket“. But later in september in 1845, a group was founded in new york city where men founded the New York Knickerbocker baseball Club. They were the ones that stated new set of rules stating for the diamond shape infeld, the three strike rule and then abolishment of the danger of tagging the runner by throwing the balls at them.
Its America’s pastime. Since 1869, the MLB has been the sweetheart of American sports. A requisite to be a true American is to have a conceptual understanding of baseball; the seventh inning stretch, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” as well as hotdogs and warm summer nights at the ball park are all favorite memories of American pastime. However, what one might not realize is the extreme physics behind the game. The velocity of the pitch, and degree of the ball exiting the bat, the exit speed, and how an outfielder throws are entailed within the physics of baseball. It is important to understand the physics involved with baseball to grow in understanding and appreciation of the sport.
Baseball was based on the English game of rounders. Rounders becomes popular in the United States in the early 19th century, where the game was called "townball", "base", or "baseball". Cartwright formalized the modern rules of baseball. The first recorded baseball game in 1846 when Alexander Cartwright's Knickerbockers lost to the New York Baseball Club. The game was held at the Elysian Fields, in Hoboken, New Jersey. In 1858, the National Association of Base Ball Players, the first organized baseball league was formed.
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.