The History of Baseball
Baseball in America is about as common as alcohol in college , it is everywhere
and participated by everyone. Children and adults play baseball in small towns
and large cities and professionals play it throughout the country. The game of
baseball is America's pastime and it popularity is enormous. The beginning of
the 20th century between the 1930's sparked the emergence of baseball and
it's members as nationally popular . There was many different organized
leagues ,during these times , including The American and National Leagues and
Negro Leagues . These leagues , mainly the American and National , had
superstars who were immensely popular and beloved. Some stars in these
leagues , scarred by scandals and malapropisms , damaged the baseball
persona. The game of baseball from 1900-1930 began to take its form as a
popular and magnificent sport that characterized American society. In baseball
, the years between 1900-1910 began with turbulent times and they finished
that way. In the beginning of the 20th century , baseball began with a
controversy between its two major leagues. The newly formed American
League lured many National League players with " offers of an average of
$500 more per season"(1)and " not [trading ]without their consent."(2) The
National League owners complained , mounted lawsuits , and fought among
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...ly 20th century. Baseball began to become
America's national baseball , characterizing the country and the people who
lived there. People flocked to baseball games during the time period from
1900-1930 and the game gained its identity during this time. Players became
larger than life heroes and children throughout the nation emulated them. The
politics of baseball reflected the times and as the country changed and grew ,
so did Major League baseball. Baseball also reflected America's small but
growing acceptance of the African Americans in their Negro teams and
leagues. The game of baseball is a very diverse sport that has various qualities
that attract all sorts of people to it.
Negro baseball leagues have a deep historical significance. Racism and “Jim Crow” laws encouraged segregation of African-Americans and whites. Arguably, the players on the negro baseball leagues were some of the best ever. Even today they are still being recognized and honored for their wonderful contribution to baseball as a whole. It started when major league owners had made a “gentleman’s agreement” to keep blacks from playing in the game. The barrier that went up was finally broken with a few black players being signed into white teams in the 1940s. It was once said by Martin Luther King Jr., “[Segregation] gives the segregator a false sense of superiority, it gives the segregated a false sense of inferiority.” While that is true of the times and conditions, I tend to believe that the negro baseball players had a different type of pride that kept them strong and helped blacks eventually gain equality. This still affects us as a society because we will always continue to look for equal opportunity.
By the 1950’s the New York Yankees had already experienced previous decades of glory and high levels of success over the rest of Major League Baseball. However, the 50’s had began a new decade of a higher level of dominance. The Yankees were supported by big name players like Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio and a younger, less-experienced pitching staff. In this storied decade the Bronx Bombers were able to win eight American League Pennants and six World Series. (Yankees Baseball)
“In 1946, there were sixteen Major League Baseball teams, with a total of 400 players on their rosters, every one of the players was white. But when opening day came in 1947, that number dropped to 399, and one man stood apart. (42 2:30)” Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Making Jackie Robinson the first African-American to play Major League Baseball (MLB). Jackie’s transition from the Negro Leagues to MLB was not an easy one. As a player, he transitioned very well, but it was Robinson’s teammates, Dodgers fans, the opposing teams and their fans that tested Jackie every chance they got, some hotels even prohibited the Dodgers to stay in their establishments
Book Report on Baseball: A History of America's Game by Benjamin G. Rader In "Baseball: A History of America's Game", the Author Benjamin G. Rader discusses the history of baseball and how it developed to present day. Rader explains how baseball started as a simple game consisting of no rules besides the players using a stick to hit a ball and its constant evolution to what the game is today. He also displays several issues which America's favorite sport has had while developing into the complex sport it is today. Although baseball has had several trials and tribulations throughout its history, it still remains America's favorite pastime.
"Over the decades, African American teams played 445-recorded games against white teams, winning sixty-one percent of them." (Conrads, pg.8) The Negro Leagues were an alternative baseball group for African American baseball player that were denied the right to play with the white baseball payers in the Major League Baseball Association. In 1920, the first African American League was formed, and that paved the way for numerous African American innovation and movements. Fences, and Jackie Robinson: The Biography, raises consciousness about the baseball players that have been overlooked, and the struggle they had to endure simply because of their color.
One of the most iconic names in baseball is the team name “New York Yankees”, and along with it have come some equally as famous players. The Yankees have had so much talent come through their stadium, names including Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra and Mickie Mantle to name a few. Though there are several arguments about who the greatest players of the game are it is no question who the top ten are from the New York team. Based on up to date career statistics these players have a ninety year span of talent between them. These players may not have top score in all parts of the game but they have all set certain records that either have yet to be broken or held for a longer time than most students have been alive.
Its America’s pastime. Since 1869, the MLB has been the sweetheart of American sports. A requisite to be a true American is to have a conceptual understanding of baseball; the seventh inning stretch, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” as well as hotdogs and warm summer nights at the ball park are all favorite memories of American pastime. However, what one might not realize is the extreme physics behind the game. The velocity of the pitch, and degree of the ball exiting the bat, the exit speed, and how an outfielder throws are entailed within the physics of baseball. It is important to understand the physics involved with baseball to grow in understanding and appreciation of the sport.
Throughout the 1920's, sports grew rapidly and was also known as a transition period. Baseball was also known as Americas pass time. Sports had large amateur events that caught the eye of promoters who could see an opportunity to capitalize and make money. "The momentum these sports built up in the 1920's has ensured that these sports have endured in popularity to the present day."(Scott) Because of the great players of the 20's , many athletes are often compared back to the originals. The sport stars of this era remain well known today. Baseball was a huge part of the evolution of sports in the 20's between the Negro National League, the death of Ray chapman, Lou Gehrig, and one of the greatest baseball players known to man, Babe Ruth.
Baseball has for a long time been a staple in the American sporting culture as baseball and America have grown up together. Exploring the different ages and stages of American society, reveals how baseball has served as both a public reflection of, and vehicle for, the evolution of American culture and society. Many American ways including our landscapes, traditional songs, and pastimes all bear the mark of a game that continues to be identified with America's morals and aspirations. In this paper I will be addressing the long residuals of baseball as it specifically relates to the emergence of the American nation and its principles of nationalism. This is a particularly important issue because baseball seems to be a perfect representative system having many comparative analogies to the larger system of development, America. Since the sport first emerged, baseball and America have shared the same values, responded to the same events, and struggled with the same social and economic issues. To learn of the ideals concerning the sport of baseball in America, is to know the heart and mind of America.
The Desegregation of baseball in America was a slow process. Near the end of the 1800's, African American ballplayers were accepted in the Major Leagues, but as their success grew, they were quickly banned from the league. For the fifty-year period that there were no blacks in the Major Leagues, the Negro Leagues were where black ballplayers competed. The Negro Leagues grew and many stars emerged from the leagues that now have a legendary status. When Jackie Robinson joined the Major Leagues in 1954, baseball was once again desegregated (Sailer). The complete integration of the league was not as rapid as many would have expected. Economic reasons seemed to be the main reason why African Americans were brought back into the Major Leagues but there were other factors that contributed.
Abner Doubleday is the man that is responsible for the invention of modern day baseball. Alexander Cartwright formed and developed the rules for baseball in 1845, and went on to develop and manage the baseball clubs in New York. As we know today, the teams have spread throughout the entire U.S. to make up the 30 teams that are present in our MLB today. How has the baseball equipment and game changed from when it was first started to what it is today?
My sophomore year eager to begin baseball season, I've have so much detonation and disappointment from the prior year. The team and i had been preparing our butts off this off season. We were determined to break the curse of the baseball team. Out of the past teams no one never made it passed the fourth round and we were willing to do anything to change that. This was the year that we told our self's that were we going to make it the distance and nothing was going stand before us. We needed to be the team to recall as the ones who broke the condemnation and made it to state.
Upon arrival at the opening game of the season for the Whitecaps, I feel very self concious, as if I do not belong here. I glance at my companions and laugh, they probably feel the same way. We walk up the steps of the stadium and I smile, momentarily caught up in the sweet charm of a group of elderly men, playing 'Take Me Out To The Ballpark' in old fashioned brass style. This will be an interesting night at the very least.
The year is 1943, and the war is on. With all the able-bodied young men shipped away from United States’ borders, baseball lacks a steady stream of potential players to entertain the masses. At the dawn of this crisis, Cubs’ owner Philip K. Wrigley proposed an idea so radical that it could shake the foundation of american sports: a women 's’ baseball league! Despite the significant risk, the All-American Girl’s Professional Baseball League beat the odds and ran for eleven remarkable years, from 1943-1954. When many of these young women began playing, they were simply seeking a steady source of income and a way to express their love of the game. However, through their perseverance and incredible skill on the field, these players revolutionized baseball and ignited change in the way the american people viewed women’s place in society.
Americans began playing baseball on informal teams, using local rules, in the early 1800s. By the 1860s, the sport, unrivaled in popularity, was being described as America's "national pastime." Alexander Joy Cartwright of New York invented the modern baseball field in 1845. Alexander Cartwright and the members of his New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club devised the first rules and regulations for the modern game of baseball.