What Is America's Pastime

Baseball has been label as America’s pastime since before the civil war, and Opening Day kicks off the season. This is the beginning of a new season and the opportunity to accomplish your goals; this symbolizes the American dream, and the every changing society in America. Throughout this essay we’ll discuss four images that illustrate how baseball is shaped by American culture.

Baseball is a game of skill that is played with a hard ball and a bat between two teams of nine players each at a time on the playing field at once. Although many different people play Baseball all over the world it is most popular in the United States. It is so popular in fact, it is referred to as the national pastime of the United States because of the tradition and popularity associated with the game. Baseball consists of many complicated rules. It also has a very elaborate history. One can not fully understand the game America has grown to love until learning about not only the rules but also the history.

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 game of baseball was invented by Abner Doubleday, in 1839- 177 years ago from today. Baseball has been, and is still today, known as America’s favorite pastime; additionally, due to its extensive history and partaking it monumental events, it can as well serve as a great topic to use in a story or poem. Poet Dale Ritterbusch, uses the game of baseball along with metaphors in his poem as a vehicle to write about a more substantial subject in poetry, the Vietnam War. His poem, “Behind the Plate”, can be simply over-looked to one as just a poem about an overweight catcher; nonetheless, when closely examined, it has a deeper meaning. Authors Michael Cocchiarale and Scott Emmert, both agree with the statement that baseball is a great outlet for further analysis of a more important subject: “Writers have seen sports, particularly baseball, as a useful vehicle for cultural and epistemological analysis” (Cocchiarale).

Since Cartwright and the Knickerbockers, the game has seen an explosion in popularity. The first boom in popularity occurred during the civil war. Terry Bluett is author of the article “Baseball and the Civil War” where he explains prior to the civil war, baseball was a game that was only played in the New York area. Those who played the game and went off to war began to teach their fellow soldiers how to play. Soldiers of all ranks participated in playing baseball in their camps and was even promoted by generals because it

"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

America’s pastimes are Football and Baseball, which are similar yet vastly different. Enough though Baseball and football may require some of the same talents they are also different in many ways.

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.

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.”

Baseball has been called “America 's Pastime” for years because people have played baseball for years and it is one of the first things fathers teach their sons. Family’s go to ballparks all over the nation to watch baseball at all levels of play from T-ball through the Major League of Baseball (MLB). Throughout the years there have been many great, loved, and cherished baseball players including Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson is on the top of the list of all time greats, not only because he was a great player, but because of all he accomplished and overcame through racism and how he helped

Imagine you going up to the plate and hitting a base hit to score the winning run in the last inning. I will be talking to you about baseball, Americans favorite pastime. When I first played the game of baseball, I thought that baseball was so boring but when I got older, it got very interesting. The connection I can make is that baseball is America’s past time and has deep traditional values in many of us like me. Abner Doubleday, a young man from New York City invented the game of baseball in the summer of 1839. It became America’s beloved national pastime. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime because everyone

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 sport is such an integral part of our culture today that we Americans sometimes take for granted its significance in our everyday lives. Contemporary baseball is so closely related with American ideals and identity that it often has served as an expression of patriotism. In times of national hardships, baseball has been used to encourage and rally the nation. In speaking of the emergence of America's nationalism in the historic and contemporary playing field, there are several key issues that surface. Of these issues I will specifically address the long residuals of how baseball has helped to establish our (Americans) national spirit and identity. That is the links between our heritage and national institutions and the game of baseball as a cultural and political representative abroad and unifying tradition at home. I will also address ideals and injustices. That is how baseball's acceptability has changed over time, and how this acts as a microcosm for America's changing attitudes about equality and opportunity.

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