America's Pastime Summary

Baseball was and forever will be America’s pastime. It wouldn’t be the American pastime if it hadn’t been the sport that generations have continually grown up playing. From the industrial revolution to the Cold War and present day, baseball has survived countless economic endeavors and national hardships. The sport itself has had such an impact on our country and society as a whole. Baseball continues to prosper and be a huge part of our lives. There are many reasons why this decade had the biggest impact of all. The 50’s was the most controversial and most meaningful decade of baseball, which had a huge impact on society itself and changed the game forever.

According to a passage in the 19th Century Baseball website, author Eric Miklich writes that America’s pastime may have originated in Canada. Miklich tells the story of Dr. Adam E. Ford who wrote a letter about a game which had been played in 1838 which was described to have several key differences than baseball. Many people believe that baseball evolved from games played in England- mainly cricket and rounders. Others believe the German game of town ball is where it all started. October 6, 1845 was the first baseball game on record. One of the teams playing that day were the New York Knickerbockers. The Knickerbockers, led by “The Father of Baseball” Alexander Cartwright, are known today as the first official baseball team. Cartwright published the original rules of baseball (Miklich). Throughout the years, baseball has seen it’s fair share of great players and managers while evolving into the sport we know and love today, but not without controversy.

There is something magical in the crack of a baseball bat meeting a baseball. The hush of the crowd before the pitch allows the 1.4 kHz to echo through the stadium. This sound needs no onomatopoeia; we can all recall it from a memory at a baseball park or from any of the countless baseball movies ever produced. This classic sound has traveled through the years, from the beginnings of professional baseball to today. First called a national pastime in 1856, baseball has endured over two hundred and twenty years as a sport in America, almost as long as America has been America. It has been with us through revolutions, civil wars, world wars, and depressions. To quote Gerald Early in Ken Burns’ documentary, Baseball, “There are only three things that America will be remembered for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: The Constitution, Jazz music, and Baseball.”

The American Civil War had a very dynamic effect on the growth of baseball during the 1860s. Before the Civil War baseball was flourishing and was at a point of dramatic growth and widespread popularity. During the beginning of the Civil War baseball was dramatically hampered with personnel issues and while still played, it was reported as more of a recreational, social support play style which was commonly used as propaganda to promote the Union “beating off the rebels who would dismember this glorious ‘Union of States.’ “ . Toward the end of the Civil War baseball seemed to regain much of its popularity through a combination of ruleset changes, and the changes within the economic and political climate. Baseball’s effects on the Civil

Before Football, Basketball or Hockey, Baseball was America’s favorite pastime and a global phenomenon. Baseballs rich heritage and purity gave it a mass appeal not just in America but across the world. However, even the purest games can become corrupt, and over time Baseball has lost much of the integrity and credibility it once had. What caused the downfall of baseball? In many ways it all starts with Chicago White Sox throwing the 1919 World Series. The goal of this paper will be to examine the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, and how this scandal reshaped Major League baseball and Baseball worldwide, through its lasting impact. The paper will examine the causes of the Black Sox Scandal, such as lack of proper pay and the direct role World War I played in it. The paper will then

Baseball is known as one of America's favorite pastimes. A fun filled family outing would include a picnic and a trip to see their favorite Major League Baseball team play. The faces of the children would light up when they caught a foul ball. This pastime of "baseball" was one of segregation and a naïve sense of enjoyment, for the "baseball" that they knew was a game of only Caucasian Americans. Little did they know, some of the most talented players were African-American. These black baseball players had to play in a separate league. It was called the Negro League, and this league along would change America's view of "baseball" forever (Sigworth, 2003).

The development of sports from their early stages, their metamorphosis and evolution to their current form and status is one of the most interesting areas of study. Unfortunately, most writers on such subjects only concentrate on the sport itself and players without exploring other ulterior factors that influence the development of a sport such as the emotional, economic and social environment. The book, Playing for Keeps: A History of Early Baseball by Warren Goldstein is one of the few that have managed to avoid this perennial mistake. This paper is a review of the book,

Before the sport of baseball was tainted, it was initially just a growing sport amongst working middle-class people, whether they were playing or simply watching. The first professional team was formed in 1869 and was soon joined by eight other teams which formed the first national league for the sport of baseball. A few years after existence, the national league was struggling to stay afloat. Many team owners ruled with in an extremely strict manner. Athletes who put forward complaints were often fired and blacklisted. The first case of gambling within a baseball game happened the year 1877. Members of the Louisville Grays purposefully lost the game for money and claimed it was because they hadn’t been paid yet. Shortly after, baseball was turned into a booming business with the brand name “Spaulding” coming to rise in selling sporting goods. Eventually a new league of baseball was formed and came out on top as the favorite amongst the nation. While the players were enjoying the new conditions thanks to Spaulding, they were still ruled under extreme strictness. Players were being dictated and their complaints weren’t given any attention whatsoever. Despite many efforts to counter the strictness of the league, players were still put under poor conditions which may have caused the Black Sox Scandal to happen in the first place (Pearson).

The sports of the generation has shifted. Baseball, America’s grand sport was introduced to America in the 1860s bring us the joy of the game during a time of civil unrest. This small game hearted Americans as the best sport in the nation. Things are different; the game of baseball have been hit with some serious questions about plaguing the game today. The most sensation that burst onto the scene, which the glory days don’t last forever. The obvious thing is that baseball is not America’s national pastime anymore for numerous of reasons. The baseball season is too long, the games are slow and boring to watch, and the steroid era is taking over the

During the research of this paper there were several discoveries about the inner workings about the great American past time of baseball that was brought to my attention. The realization of how players are selected requires a great deal of thought and ingenuity (Thaler & Sunstein, 2003). As a former ball player (softball player), the remembrance of selecting individuals to play usually meant picking the best hitters and fielder for the team. However, with the tremendous amount of revenue generated in the game of baseball the organization providing the highest salary usually determines the player’s team.

Baseball has been the most widely played sport since its entrance to North America over 175 years ago. It is also a sport that has almost been around for over 175 years. Baseball was desegregated in 1947, when a man named Jackie Robinson was announced as the starting first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. “The best example of tactic is also the most well known: Branch Rickey’s “noble experiment” and the integration of the MLB by Jackie Robinson in 1947” (The Role of Sports Among the Civil Rights Movement). Before Robinson was introduced to the sport, baseball resembled America, a world full of desegregation wherever people went. Baseball was separated into two leagues, the more well- known white league and then the lesser known negro leagues. “Rickey recognized the power of sports and understood that integration in baseball could be the first step toward integration in society” (The Role of Sports Among the Civil Rights Movement). As more people saw Robinson play, the more people liked him and accepted the

The relationship between sport and society is often complex in nature, sometime emotional, and deeply personal. Part of the complexity can be explained as we explore our attachment to early American Baseball, Babe Ruth and evolving relationship within America’s immigrant communities. “Sports represents a window into the soul of the culture of it’s’ participants”. (Prettyman). Self-described as America pastime, it is a reflection of society. Baseball "reflected broader changes in society and maintained a special place in American culture and to that end, as Americans struggled, during the transitional period from an agrarian to an industrial environment, to find components for a national identity (Tygiel)”. Baseball continued to operate as a work in progress as it reflected the business of sports, society and economic growth occurred during a tumultuous time period. Full of social inequalities, baseball exploded in popularity during the 1920’s with an unlikely hero situated for the uprising. Babe Ruth, baseball’s most popular player of the time was the beneficiary of society's fascination with celebrity. As a star, Babe Ruth was a central link that helped to cement sports, society and its racial culture together.

Baseball is often referred to as America’s pastime and a symbol of American culture. Baseball has long stood as an integral part of the American way of life. Yet, for nearly one hundred years of its professional life a significant portion of the population was banned from participating in baseball at the Major League level. Some of America’s most talented ballplayers were forced to play in leagues that provided little support or opportunity. Because of an unwritten rule, baseball’s hierarchy prevented African American men from playing on the same team as white men, even if the African American men’s talents far exceeded that of their white counterparts. Baseball’s eventual integration would change the face of American culture and upend

The first American baseball league was created, with help from the soldiers in the Civil War, creating the National Association of Base Ball Players. From here, baseball in American only continued to grow. As the popularity of baseball slowly emerged, more news stories turned away from cricket to watch the growth of a new sport. At this time, only white men can be part of these teams, a the same time, women could still not vote. Many countries didn’t even have women’s leagues until fairly recently. Today, there are two major baseball leagues in America, the National league and the American League, each with 15 teams. In 2014, Major League Baseball raked in 9 billion dollars in revenue. The American baseball craze has propelled the sales of tickets, gear, and merchandise, upon which teams are capitalizing. Baseball has also evolved with our society. Before segregation was banned, there were separate teams for African-Americans. The leagues these teams played under were called the “Negro Leagues”. Negro Leagues were first established alongside other white leagues at the beginning of American baseball. Segregated teams and leagues continued until the early 1950’s,

The photo displayed above provides some of the people who introduced baseball in America. These are individuals in the American history that have a substantial significance to lives of Americans today; they introduced baseball that some American depend on as a career to earn money to cater for their daily necessities (Panacy, 2017). Development of baseball by G. Wright, Alison, C, Leonard L.F, among others promoted entertainment in every part of the continent. Baseball development identified America has a continent with innovative change through various aspects of social life such as entertainment. In this manner, America shows advancement in some areas of life than other countries. America is identified by its nurturing value represented by the invention of the baseball, which has gone through