Baseball: America's Evolving Pastime

The sport of baseball in the United States exists in a dynamic social world. Although the sport of baseball has evolved as an international game and other popular sports have emerged, baseball remains America’s national pastime. The sport of baseball has a long history and has experienced numerous cultural changes.

Organized baseball began in the 1830s with the formation of the New York Knickerbockers. The Knickerbocker Baseball Club set rules of the game which are still used today. “The country’s first ‘all-professional’ baseball team emerged in 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, financed by a group of Ohio investors” (Smith, n.d., First Pro Team section). A short time later, the team was moved to Boston, and the team name was changed to the Boston Red Stockings. There, the team joined teams from eight other cities in forming the National Association of Professional Ball Players. A social world of baseball was being formed; it was made up of a community of young men who enjoyed playing baseball at the elite level. The baseball players were willing to endure the low salaries and the hardship of travel for the love of the game. The players had each other to talk to about the thrill of

The sport of baseball became a business, causing the sport to evolve into modern baseball. A.G. Spalding, president of the White Stockings “insisted the players be paid like entertainers; he created Spalding Sporting Goods, manufacturing balls, caps, uniforms, and gloves” (Smith, n.d., Baseball as a Business section). Spalding’s creation, gave each team a greater sense of unity; matching uniforms made the players a unit. A person enjoys being identified as part of a team, especially if the team happens to be successful. Unfortunately, the team owners did not pay for the player’s uniforms; the players were responsible for their own uniforms and their salaries were not adjusted for the additional