The Expansion Of Professional Baseball

The MLB didn’t start until 1876 with the National league and then they brought in the American league in 1901. The first World Series was held in 1903 with the Boston Americans beating the Pittsburg pirates 5-3. Baseball hasn’t always been glorified as it was though. It experienced rough times in the 1940’s when African Americans weren’t allowed to play in the major league but thanks to Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby, they eliminated the racial discrimination in baseball and outside the baseball world. Baseball has also experienced rough times during the WWII and Vietnam era. During the time of war, players would go and serve in the military and baseball would have to replace them with less talented players. But Upon return, baseball returned to its once prestige self.

At the time, I was not impressed with the “American” sport, but now that I have read Stephen Jay Gould’s essay, “The Creation Myths of Cooperstown,” I will have something to say when the subject arises. Don’t get me wrong: I didn’t like America’s baseball then

The development of baseball solidified the significance of organized team sport in American culture beginning in 1845. While baseball was originally played solely by amateurs, on oddly shaped fields, and with not an incredible amount of action outside of the infield, baseball encompassed the reasons behind the importance of organized team sport. Not only do team sports encourage self-government, they also unite the community through

"Baseball as America." Academic Search Premier. Spec. issue of USA Today Magazine 1 Apr. 2002: n. pag. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. The Baseball Hall of Fame is an iconic American landmark, which houses thousands of artifacts from baseball's crude beginnings to its current day glory. This piece is simple, yet it demonstrates what an important aspect of American culture baseball has become. The artifacts demonstrate how far baseball has come, among its highlights are Jackie Robinson's uniform, articles from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and even "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's cleats. Pictures accompany the article which adds the needed bit of glamour to illustrate how greatly baseball has influenced American

Baseball has been part of American history for well over 150 years now. It is considered to be America’s pastime, meaning it is what people loved to do in their off time back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. Back then baseball was much different than today. Different rules, balls, and equipment than in today’s age. As baseball developed things changed such as the rules and equipment. Better equipment was put into place to help enhance the performance of the ball players. Baseball has become a sport of scouting. More and more scouts come to watch kids play in college and high school in hopes to find that one player that would be

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

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.

The first record of baseball in the United States began in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1791. Its popularity spread quickly through the town and the

When asked to describe a baseball the first word generally voiced is white, and before April 15, 1947 that is exactly what the game of baseball was, white. “There is no law against Negroes playing with white teams, or whites with colored clubs, but neither has invited the other for the obvious reason they prefer to draw their talent from their own ranks” (‘42’). These were the feelings of people living in 1947, that blacks and whites were not meant to play baseball together. Then, why decades earlier, had there been an African American in the league? In 1887, an African American Pitcher, George Stovey, was expected to pitch a game with Chicago, however, the first baseman, Cap Anson, would not play as long as Stovey was on the field. Other

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

The game of baseball became an organized sport in 1840 and 1850. Baseball is becoming more popular in America. For example, by 1860 the sport took the crown of America favorite sport over England cricket.

spread the sport of baseball all over the country. As an example, the union soldiers would play the game as a form of

The article “America’s Pastime” by Robert S. Fay and Tom Pfannoch, teaches readers about the history of baseball. The first unofficial baseball games were played in the early 1800’s, these games otherwise known as “town ball”. One of the earliest organizations to influence modernized baseball was the knickerbockers, the knickerbockers put together a set of rules and gave the game structure which helped standardize how the game is played today. Soon after, the game spread throughout the country and gained popularity among players and spectators as well, which led to the professional sport of baseball. Following the professionalization of the sport many leagues were formed, the present day MLB (Major League Baseball) has been considered America’s

The earliest known reference to baseball as we know it in America was in 1791 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There was an ordinance banning the play of the sport within 80yds a town meeting center. No one is exactly sure of the origins of baseball but many believe it to be a variation of the English game of “rounders”. The very first team to play the sport of baseball

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”.