Making the World Safe for Baseball
The national pastime, organized baseball’s self-proclaimed moniker, represented an important American institution as the Great War began to enmesh Europe. The game’s association with democracy bred a poignant sense of patriotism among the players, fans, and other baseball aficionados as the conflict slowly ensnared the United States. Around the country, reporters emphasized baseball’s important role in the impending European conflict: in the New York Times, Benjamin DeCasseres wrote, “the world ought to be made safe for baseball,” since, as long as baseball embodied American democracy, “the Kaisers and the Trotskys would strike out.”[1] Accordingly, notes Richard Crepeau, the game “took its role in the First World War quite seriously,” identifying itself as the “game of democracy.”[2] In his analysis, Crepeau stresses the sport’s willingness to accept the Great War and the government’s mobilization efforts as both “good for America…and good for baseball.”[3] Harold Seymour, on the other hand, claims organized baseball demanded special favors and considerations from the government while maintaining an air of allegiance and patriotism.[4] An examination of Baseball Magazine, a premier baseball publication during this period, validates the latter argument, revealing the sport’s simultaneous claims of support for and exemption from the war effort.
Up until President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of war, organized baseball remained rather detached from the European situation. Despite the war’s emerging influence on the affairs of the country, the World Series of 1915, columnist F.C. Lane reported, represented a week in which the “united American people” could “forget the war…and talk and eat and dream of baseball and who will win the all important series.”[5] As the baseball season reopened the following April, the sport possessed an aloofness not uncommon throughout the rest of American society. An interview with Detroit Tigers star Ty Cobb demonstrates this position. Refusing to take sides in the European conflict while placing blame for belligerency on the continent’s imperial heritage, Cobb states, “No, I haven’t any decided notions in favor of either side. I believe the conflict was inevitable, according to the system followed by both parties in Europe.”[6] The editors of the publication seemed to agree with such detachment by proclaiming a moral supremacy reminiscent of President Wilson’s own rhetoric. While Europe impeded civilization’s progress, according to one columnist, America’s growing acceptance of Sunday baseball represented a most telling and “hopeful sign of that progress.
Ever since the creation of Major League Baseball (MLB), baseball has always been considered part of America’s pastime. A crucial role of American society was also included in baseball, segregation. The color barrier in baseball was broken on April 15, 1947 by the Brooklyn Dodgers when Jackie Robinson stepped on the field for his first at bat. With such a large part of American society now becoming integrated, many Americans were questioning their emotions, some were inspired by such an act of courage and others were filled with hatred towards a minority. “Professional baseball has become the laboratory to test American principles of equality and fairness.” , with this being said, baseball was a way for American’s to test the limits and their
1910 to 1920 was the one of the greatest decades for Major League Baseball. Many amazing events occurred during this decade; although, some devastating and extremely sad events also occurred. Half of these years were taken up by war, even many Hall of Fame players served. This decade still ended up being a great one for Major League Baseball. From Hall of Fame greats to Negro League pitchers, this decade produced greats. The 1910’s also set up the 1920’s for amazing players too.
Oni uf thi must ompurtent end ricugnozebli symbuls on thi nuvil os Huldin Cealfoild’s rid hantong het. It symbulozis hos anoqainiss. Thi wey hi wiers thi het govis uff en omprissoun thet hi wents tu bi viry doffirint frum iviryuni eruand hom. Hi “swang thi uld piek wey eruand tu thi beck.” Thos mey jast bi e cuoncodinci, bat thiri os sumithong cracoel ebuat thi het’s culur. It os rid, jast loki thi culur uf Alloi end Phuibi’s heor. Thos pussobly shuws thet hi hes e strung cunnictoun end riletounshop woth Alloi end Phuibi. Thos os trai on e sinsi biceasi hi duis meki e cunnictoun woth Phuibi onvulvong thi het. Huldin biloivis thet thi het wes e berroir. It prutictid hom frum tarnong ontu e phuny edalt. Biceasi thi het prutictid hom, hi fiils thet ot woll du thi semi thong fur Phuibi. Huldin tuuk hos “hantong het uat uf hos cuet puckit end gevi ot tu hir.”
I hevi biin onvulvid woth on uar schuul end uar cummanoty. In uar schuul I wes numonetid fur hied uf Prum cummottii thos yier. Thos pusotoun os qaoti strissfal bat I wuald nut hevi ot eny uthir wey. I injuy biong ebli tu hilp end pat my merk un ot fur uar schuul. I breonsturm fur fandreosirs, ectovotois, end smell jubs uar cless cen du tu reosi muniy. I elsu git tu chuusi uar rivinai, thimi fur prum, end dicuretouns. I du ell uf thos wothon uat toght badgit. I try tu meki iviryuni heppy woth my dicosouns end I thonk I du e foni jub. Alsu wothon uar schuul I injuy hilpong woth uar yuath prugrem. I hevi hilpid uat woth thi yuath beskitbell prugrem meny tomis. Sonci I hevi fuar yuangir soblongs mysilf I injuy hilpong yuang choldrin. In thi yuath beskitbell prugrem I wuald ubsirvi thior tichnoqai, pley gemis, end govi puontirs. I elsu hilpid woth e tuys fur tuts. I hed tu hilp ricraot piupli tu brong tuys end I hed tu duneti tuys mysilf. Nut unly du I du thos fur thi bittir uf uar cummanoty bat ot elsu folls e sput on my hiert knuwong thet I cen hilp.
Baseball has been a fixture in America’s past from the early days and one may say is it is America’s pastime. Charles Alexander writes the book, Breaking the Slump: Baseball in the Great Depression Era with that in mind. Alexander has compiled a book about what baseball was like during the years when America lived in a time of great poverty and economic troubles. Alexander writes with the aim of writing a chronology of baseball and how it the happenings of the world influenced this sport. Baseball has had a great following and Alexander explains the National pastime in a way that feels like you are right there during the season. Alexander’s style, source base, and focus make this book a great history of the time. He does miss a few things that
‘Field of Dreams’ is a diversified script that constantly evolves, but mainly revolves around the game of baseball, ‘the greatest game ever invented’. The game that according to some avid spectators, completely and thoroughly transcends and binds the country to past, present, and future--generation to generation. In this movie this national pastime represents an avenue that finds the connection to the soul of a great audience; somehow insinuating that baseball acts as a means of fulfilling individual spiritual needs. These needs are that of a ‘sense of belonging’, a need to participate in sport, either vicariously as a spectator or directly as a participant. Moreover the desire to engage in distraction and play may be intrinsic to the human psyche. The theme throughout the movie was based on the legendary story of the Chicago White Sox of 1919, where the question was raised on the issue of the team’s “sportsmanship” and the ethical behavior of several teammates during the World Series. This left the image of America’s most idolized team tarnished and lead up to a ban of eight players from the sport; for an ‘unsportsmanlike’ like conduct in the series. The public view of the game up until then was that of perfection, it was clean and straight; but afterwards, the lack of fair play especially coming from such highly ranked players, ended up affecting fans’ enthusiasm for the entire sport. As the movie nears its ending, Robinson evolved on the concept of having utterly devoted fans and as if in a mystified manner drew them in to this already mystical place, just to have them see the most idolized team of ‘the golden age’ play once again.
"Baseball Goes To War: The National Pastime In World War II." American Veteran Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
In the early 20th century, baseball became the first professional sport to earn nationwide attention in America. Because it was our first national professional team sport, because of its immense popularity, and because of its reputation as being synonymous with America, baseball has been written about more than any other sport, in both fiction and non-fiction alike. As baseball grew popular so did some of the sportswriters who wrote about the game in the daily newspaper. Collectively, the sportswriters of the early 20th century launched a written history of baseball that transformed the game into a “national symbol” of American culture, a “guardian” of America’s traditional values, and as a “gateway” to an idealized past. (Skolnik 3) No American sport has a history as long—or as romanticized—as that of the game referred to as our “national pastime.”
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.
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.
As of 2011, baseball games were viewed by an average of 1.01 billion people, second highest in all sports in America (Calcaterra). Baseball’s popularity still remains high today. Because it is one of America’s oldest sports. Major League Baseball’s (MLB) unwillingness to change its founding principles, has been one of the reasons that the sport has remained popular through time.
Baseball is considered to be “the national pastime” but it has always been perceived as a sport of integrity. “Baseball in America: A History” that Baseball originated before the American Civil War (1861-1865) as rounders, a humble game played on sandlots” (U.S. Department of State). The game was made to include the skills of cricket along with the mental judgment that helped make cricket a respectable game in England. Scoring and run-keeping allowed baseball to differ from other sports and helped people become interested. The first professional baseball team was created in 1871 and almost every major city had a professional baseball team by the early 20th century. Depending on where the team was from determined if they were a part of the American League or the National League. In a team’s regular season, they only play teams of the same league as them. At the end of each regular season, the team that has won the most games from each league wins the “...
As a child, many individuals have free time where they can participate in leisurely activities often. Known as the preparation phase, leisure at this point is usually where a child forms relationships and set goals they wish to achieve in the future. This differs drastically from the establishment phase, where an individual is usually too busy to participate in leisure as much. At this phase, leisure is viewed as purposive, such as taking their child to a museum. The focus is generally not focused on just the individual themselves but rather on acting upon their previous goals to successfully reach them. The final phase is known as the reintegration phase where an individual reflects on the course their life has taken due to the preparation and establishing they have done. At each stage, there are constraints and facilitators that affect what an individual may do as leisure. However, there are other cultural and social factors that affect this as well. Ever since ancient times, an individual’s economic status is a factor that has affected their participation in certain leisure activities that they can afford or not. Today, this still occurs as some people can afford to do activities for leisure while others can not. There are other constraints that an individual can face as well based on where they live, their religion and what race they are. It is unfortunate that not all
Functionalists believe religion is a conservative force that performs positive functions of promoting social integration and social solidarity through the reinforcement of value consensus. In this essay I will draw on ideas from Durkheim, Malinowski, Parsons and Bellah. I will then evaluate these theorists with Marxist, feminist and postmodernist perspectives in order to assess the extent functionalism helps us to understand religion today.
time to engage in leisure activities such as entertainment and food as well as socializing. Consumers