Baseball is an American icon. It is the Statue of Liberty, the bald eagle, ‘In God We Trust,’ Mount Rushmore, ice cream, apple pie, hot dogs, and rally monkeys. BASEBALL IS AMERICA.” At one time baseball held the hearts and captivated the minds of the majority of the United States of America with its luster and almost magical exuberance. It exerted this on minds of young children and all the way up to old men and women in America. Americans fell in love with the scent of ballpark hotdogs and the spectacle of beautiful ballparks to the crisp breeze of the air filled with thousands of voices belting “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” while eating a big box of Cracker Jacks. Something about the pure joy it brought upon the hearts of Americans just made people feel pure happiness in its simplest form. That pure joy came from the game and people vented towards that feeling and fed of it making baseball almost larger than life. Baseball still captivates the hearts and minds of some Americans the way it used to but not many because the generation of people growing up now never experienced the magic baseball used to exhibit on people and grew up with football captivating America’s heart more than baseball did. Most people think that football now holds the title of America’s game. If someone asked the average American if they would rather watch a big football game or a big baseball game, I believe the average American would watch the football game. “Football may be the "disco beat" of modern
Rote 2
Sports, but baseball is Chopin or the mystique of Mozart. Every baseball game is new with the pristine beauty of the notes of Beethoven's Ninth.” (Gerstle) (Baltov Jr.)
Some of the most iconic and pristine ballparks across the U.S and through...
... middle of paper ...
...c Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. Hoyt Purvis professes for the University of Arkansas department of Journalism. This gives him adequate authority on the subject of peer reviewing journal entries. This journal entry and his subsequent reviewing of it stem from the biography of Jackie Robinson. The article only shows a selection out of the much larger book on the biography of Jackie Robinson. The main part of the article is the part where Purvis attached his review of the complete article to the article itself. This article really helps me understand the point of view of another journalistic person’s opinion on an article and how to read and analyze an article better me. “Baseball was supposed to be America’s game. However, until fifty years ago, major league baseball, the pinnacle of the national sport, was not open to all Americans.”
In “Jackie’s Debut: A Unique Day,” is written by Mike Royko, and appeared in the Chicago Daily News on Wednesday, October 15, 1972, the day after Jackie passed away. This article is about one of the most famous and cultural African Americans to ever play the game of baseball. In the beginning of the story, there were wise men sitting in the tavern that had something to say about Jackie. They weren’t the kindest words and said that he would ruin the game of baseball. Jackie was going to be at Wrigley Field and the kid had to see him perform. Him and his friend always walked to the baseball games to avoid streetcar fare. On that day, Wrigley Field was packed. He had never seen anything like it, there were about 47,000 people there and at the
Jackie Robinson decided to fight to be the first African American to integrate the Major League Baseball (MLB). His autobiography states he “was forced to live with snubs rebuffs and rejections” ( Robinson). This quote shows that he was treated unfairly and disrespectfully. In Robinson’s autobiography it also states that Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier and created equal oppurtunity proving that a “sport can’t be called national if blacks are barred from it”
In terms of racial inequality in baseball there have been many eras of integration. Baseball originally is seen as America’s national game belonging to the white men of America. However, throughout history there have been steps taken in recognizing and integrating those groups deemed “less favorable” by the American community. These groups include German immigrants, Irish immigrants, African Americans, Latinos, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and Asians. America used the game of baseball as a tool to indoctrinate the American ideals and values of teamwork, working hard, and collaborating for the greater good into the cultures of the “uncivilized world.” These groups used baseball as a medium to gain acceptance into the American community as racially equal counterparts.
"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.
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.
I chose to explore the Negro Baseball League to form an understanding of how the league was formed, the league's economic and social impact on the African American communities, and on the United States of America. In this paper, I will explore this tremendous impact that has forever changed the American culture, views and attitudes. This exploration will consist of reviewing different documented sources from players, fans and historians. Through these documented resources, I will also research was caused the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Negro Baseball League.
As a faithful follower and player of American Baseball, this topic was of extreme interest to me. The origins and history of a lifestyle that I have dedicated the overwhelming majority of my life to has always caught my attention. Baseball, being America’s national sport, is a crucial illustration to understand when discussing the overall societal circumstances at that time. One of baseball’s most important tasks was integrating the sport and allowing people of every ethnicity to have a chance to play the sport at an equal playing field. Although we now know that the efforts to desegregate baseball were ultimately a success, to what extent were the efforts a direct success during that time period? Did the unification of different ethnicities in America’s national sport have an effect on the amount of time desegregat...
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.
I chose this piece because it’s the beginning, the reason why baseball got started. Also because I am learning about a sport that began so early and evolved into a major league sport. Many people find baseball can be boring because it is so long, its nine innings and that can last a while. The way the sport is, it is set up in a way that when your favorite team is winning, you tend to forget about how long the actual game is. This first inning takes place as early as the 1800’s and going into the 1900’s, explaining who started baseball. One interesting fact that I took heed to be the fact that baseball was not called “baseball”, it was actually called “base”, the game of ball.
“Jackie Robinson and the Intergration of Major League Baseball.” History Today. N.p.,n.d. Web 24 Mar. 2014
Baseball and football are very popular in America Sports today. Some people think that baseball is just a laid back sport and just boring then other people say football is better because it is more physical and harder and it's a man's game. But that is not true because it comes down to the mental and the physical part of the game baseball over rules all of that.
Spring is full of transformations and changes. Flowers blossom, the temperature rises, and those with allergies begin a long journey of pain and agony. The start of spring also brings with it the beginning of baseball and softball. By carefully analyzing two teams representative of each sport at the University of Arizona a sociological analysis based on the similarities and differences between the sports was conducted. Despite the relative similarities between the two sports a number of differences were also identified showing that both sports are interconnected with cultural aspects and elements that may not immediately be observed on the surface.
Historical and sociological research has shown, through much evidence collection and analysis of primary documents that the American sporting industry can give an accurate reflection, to a certain extent, of racial struggles and discrimination into the larger context of American society. To understand this stance, a deep look into aspects of sport beyond simply playing the game must be a primary focus. Since the integration of baseball, followed shortly after by American football, why are the numbers of African American owners, coaches and managers so very low? What accounts for the absence of African American candidates from seeking front office and managerial roles? Is a conscious decision made by established members of each organization or is this matter a deeper reflection on society? Why does a certain image and persona exist amongst many African American athletes? Sports historians often take a look at sports and make a comparison to society. Beginning in the early 1980’s, historians began looking at the integration of baseball and how it preceded the civil rights movement. The common conclusion was that integration in baseball and other sports was indeed a reflection on American society. As African Americans began to play in sports, a short time later, Jim Crow laws and segregation formally came to an end in the south. Does racism and discrimination end with the elimination of Jim Crow and the onset of the civil rights movement and other instances of race awareness and equality? According to many modern sports historians and sociologists, they do not. This paper will focus on the writings of selected historians and sociologists who examine th...
For most sports fans there is nothing like opening day and a baseball field. In recent years I have over heard several people say Baseball is not the National Pastime or National Game any longer. When I query these people the typical response is Football is our new National pastime/game. Frank Deford (Nov 7, 2012) a writer for Sports Illustrated said, "Baseball is what we used to be. Football is what we have become." I refuse to believe this based on my knowledge of both games. In this paper we will exam the facts and I would submit to you that Baseball is still the National Pastime/Game and it cannot be disputed.
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.