How Has Baseball Influenced American Culture

''Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball,'' Jacques Barzun, the social commentator, wrote more than a quarter of a century ago.

Like the bald eagle, baseball has become an icon for the term “American”. It was the nation’s first major sport and quickly was coined America’s pastime. It was created from a combination of other games during the 1840’s and became increasingly popular during the years of the Civil War (Brinkley 392). In their

The 1950’s and the 1960’s saw the rise of the rise of Civil Rights and their respected leaders. This tumultuous period also saw the rise of Civil Rights leaders in sports. Much like how the southern United States was segregated, so was baseball. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. More importantly, Jackie Robinson became involved with the Civil Rights Movement and Organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). It was during these times Jackie Robinson wrote to important people in the United States ranging from Martin Luther King Jr. to President Richard Nixon. Through an analysis of Jackie Robinson’s letters and the impact of the integration of baseball, several truths about the Civil Rights Movement are revealed: the escalation of violence between the Civil Rights Movement and the opposition, the growing pressure on legislators about Civil Rights, and that the integration of African Americans in Major League Baseball impacted future Rights for African Americans.

When the topic of baseball comes up in a conversation, what do you think of? The field, a bat, the ball, or amazing plays, crucial games, and game winning performances. What about American history? Does World War II come to mind; most likely not. According to an article called “Food for Thought: Baseball and American History,” John P. Rossi quotes Jacques Barzun saying, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” Negro League Baseball can be used to shed light on the historical experience of African American’s in the United States.

Baseball has been known as America’s great sport since the 1920’s. Many people love to watch the games and create their own fantasy teams because they look up to the wide, diverse players on each team. Every team consists of males of different races and this helps bring culture into the great game. Having such a big diversity in one sport makes it easier for more people to enjoy because there is something in it for every person. However, baseball has not always been like this. From the very beginning of baseball, only white men were playing in the Major Leagues. African Americans were technically allowed to be on the team, but no one wanted them on the Major League teams. This was a time where African American’s were still treated badly and segregation was very big. People would not see an African American on a baseball team until the 1940’s. The first African American to play on a white team had to be the best at the game and needed the strength to withhold any feelings that would lead him to acting out because of the things the whites would do or say to him. This man happened to be the young, courageous Jackie Robinson. The hardships Jackie Robinson endured changed the game of baseball and still influences not just athletes, but people in every aspect of life.

This book is about the Negro baseball league and the freedoms as well as the sorrows that it afforded the Negro league players who participated in the sport. This book speaks of all the popular Negro league players that not only shaped the game of baseball but America as a society. It also gives the readers first hand account of the hardships that black people faced in the early 1900s.There were so many unsung hero's that paved the way for Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball and this book tells their forgotten story.

During the 1920’s and 1930’s, which was a time of discrimination and racial injustice for African-Americans, to whom Major League Baseball was exclusively off limits, was considered a “White Man’s Game.” Until 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, by suiting up for the Brooklyn Dodgers on Opening Day, April 15, 1947. All baseball fans know the story of Robinson and the integration of baseball, but, the more important stories come from his predecessors, who worked hard to make Jackie’s feat possible, and to those who would come after themselves. We all know the names Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and Ray Dandridge, but we don’t all know the extensive struggles they faced in order to help African-Americans

Jackie Robinson once said, "The way I figured it, I was even with baseball and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it." By doing, what he loved and cared for he knew at the end, he will accomplish the impossible during the nineteens. Jackie impact on baseball changed the face of American sports. Without Jackie’s courage, American sports will not be the same.

Baseball has always been known as America's pastime. But America's pastime, along with America's past, have both been saturated with the brutal force of racism. For hundreds of years, from the time of slavery until the middle of the 20th century, African-American children rounded up their friends and headed to the baseball diamond. There, for thousands of young black players, the smell of the grass, the cloud of dust that formed when running the ninety feet between bases, and the feeling of safely sliding into homeplate for a run marked the glimmer of fun and excitement in an otherwise dreary day. However, due to the color of their skin, black children were not awarded these

In today’s society, there are many ways in which people communicate within their individual community. One community in which many people do not fully understand is the game of baseball. Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the U.S. and has been deemed America’s pastime. For me, sports are my life, especially when it comes to this particular game. I started playing baseball around the age of 4 and continue to play here at the university for the UC Club Baseball Team.

The game of baseball has been intertwined in our history. It has been there through the wars and the civil rights movements. The game has seen it all. There have been great players who have put their career’s on hold to fight for their country. “More than 500 major league baseball players during World War II, including stars like Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Joe DiMaggio”. There is one player that didn’t have to put his career on hold to fight for his country. He fought for his country simply by playing baseball. His name is Jackie Robinson the first African American player in Major League Baseball. As Robinson was making his debut in baseball the country was starting up another crucial civil rights movement. As many people credit Robinson and the breaking of the color barrier in baseball in 1947 as the moment that kicked off the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Where African Americans were fighting an ongoing struggle of desegregation. The hope of this paper is to show the true magnitude of what one man accomplished. By breaking the color barrier of MLB and the impact that it had on the rest of the country.

Baseball is referred to as “America’s Pastime.” Many people argue it is one of the hardest sports to succeed in. Out of the four major sports in the United States, hitting a 95 mile per hour fastball is a goal only few can accomplish at a professional level. With only 750 players throughout 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, the odds of making it to “The Show” are highly unlikely. To make it to the big leagues as an African American player was an even harder feat to accomplish in the mid to late 1900’s. Baseballs Greatest Experiment tells the story of how MLB was an all white mans game up until the death of Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis in 1944. Team owners and the commissioner did not want to integrate African Americans into the MLB; “some experts argued that the absence of blacks in the majors stemmed from their lack of talent, intelligence and desire” ( Tygiel, 32). Since Jackie Robinson overcame many obstacles, baseball players and fans alike can argue that he paved the way for African Americans in baseball and challenged societal social structure.

The Negro Leagues, baseball leagues for merely black players, allowed urban communities to “pass down the tradition of ‘their’ game 25.” As the Negro leagues ended, baseball’s popularity diminished because it no longer acted as a unique and individualized aspect of African-American culture. The Negro Leagues and the black baseball movement inspired hope as a part of the larger civil rights movement of the 20th century and the black community utilized baseball “as a means of collective identity and civic pride 26.” African- American’s racial advances in baseball signaled the long term success of the larger civil rights movement of the 20th century. As a result, baseball became essential in identifying the progress and identity of African-American culture. Baseball lost its social prevalence after the African-American civil rights movement due to the emergence of other

Baseball was called the “the national pastime” for the first time in December of 1856, years before the first professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, even came into existence in the year 1869. Baseball continued to develop and gain popularity throughout the end of the 19th century. Baseball spread after the Civil War by prisoners of war and soldiers where it was encouraged by officers as a way to pass the time and it allowed soldiers to take their minds off the situation at hand. The soldiers went home and brought their new knowledge with them, spreading the newly popular game to their children. Thus, baseball found its roots and started to grow into its title of “national pastime”.

Baseball has always been known as America's pastime. But America's pastime, along with America's past, have both been saturated with the brutal force of racism. For hundreds of years, from the time of slavery until the middle of the 20th century, African-American children rounded up their friends and headed to the baseball diamond. There, for thousands of young black players, the smell of the grass, the cloud of dust that formed when running the ninety feet between bases, and the feeling of safely sliding into home plate for a run marked the glimmer of fun and excitement in an otherwise dreary day. However, due to the color of their skin, black children were not awarded these