The Importance Of Baseball In American Culture

935 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Baseball culture in america

The sport of baseball was once unrivaled as the top sport in American culture and entertainment. However, since that time when baseball stood alone in sports with notable stars spanning over multiple decades such as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Hank Aaron, it has rapidly declined and no longer retains its position as America's pastime. The MLB has steadily lost viewers year after year and shows little sign of regaining its former popularity. This drop in viewership comes as a result of an overall slower pace of game and a wavering interest of the sport among younger people. Baseball's depleting number of viewers, diminishing pace of the game, and its aging demographic are all key contributors as to why baseball has officially lost its cool. …show more content…

The pace of MLB games has been drastically decreasing over the years and is not keeping up with other leagues such as the NBA and the NFL which feature constant action and an overall faster game which is keeping viewers tuned in to the game. The average time of an MLB game has risen over the past couple of decades with games being played on average in a time of 3 hours and 2 minutes in 2014 in comparison to 2 hours and 44 minutes in 1986.(Gasper) While an increase of about 15 minutes may not seem like a lot, it introduces more breaks for commercials and less actual baseball being played which alters the pace of the game dramatically and makes the game feel like it is being reduced to a crawl. The MLB realizes this and has made attempts to increase the pace of the game by putting a “30-second time limit on mound visits by pitching coaches and managers” and “the time between innings was truncated by 20 seconds.”(Gasper) However these attempts to speed up the game have not had much affect as the average game time remains to hover around 3 hours. The game is consistently slowing down and it has tremendously influenced why the MLB is losing viewers and as a result is in an overall

Show More
Related

  • Book Report on Baseball: A History of America's Game by Benjamin G. Rader

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Baseball has been of the longest living sports in our world today. The game started with the idea of a stick and ball and now has become one of the most complex sports known in our society. Several rules and regulations have been added to help enhance the game for everyone. Although baseball has endured several issues during its history and development of the game the game has still been a success throughout the world.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Baseball In The Dominican Republic

    1621 Words  | 4 Pages

    Most consider the sport of baseball to be America’s pastime. While many in the United States spend countless hours following or playing the sport, it is more than a diversion in the Dominican Republic; it can be the key to overcoming impoverishment. For most citizens of the island, poverty is the only known way of life. In 2015, 32.4% or 3.4 million lived at or below the national poverty line. The per capita income for the country in 2016 was $6,909.13, which is $45,285.76 less than that of the United States. In order to achieve their goal of creating a better life for themselves and their family, baseball provides Dominicans an opportunity for upward mobility. It is common for children in the Dominican Republic to grow up playing baseball, the country’s beloved sport, hoping to make their hobby a full-time job.

    Read More

  • How Did Baseball Changed American Culture

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Baseball players chose to sacrifice their careers by fighting for their own country for many years. Over 4,500 baseball players traded their baseball uniforms for a military uniform during the time of World War 2. Throughout the years, baseball has changed how americans acted in war, and how baseball has gotten people through tough times. Over the years, baseball players have gone to war, won a war, and while they were gone organizations like the AAGPBL started, and many of the baseball rules have changed. Also things like the Black Sox Scandal happened during the World War 1.

    Read More

  • Brief Overview of Baseball in the US

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    Baseball was different in the 1700’s and 1800’s from today things change jersey, rules and African Americans playing with whites. Things changed a lot, there was a big difference with the blacks and white playing together. A lot of whites didn’t like blacks playing with them. White people they didn’t feel that everyone had equal rights so they did not respect them. They call black people names and bad words but one player changed it named Jackie Robinson after he played with all the disrespect he gotten he didn’t care how whites saw blacks. All he wanted to do was play the game of baseball. He stood up for what he wanted and did whatever to make things change. Some white people was okay with playing with an African American but most of them weren’t. People were really Segregated with black they didn’t want no parts of blacks, no friendship, partner nothing they just didn’t wanna make peace with them but after Robinson stood up for what he wanted, Pee Wee Reese Respected him because all he wanted to do was to play baseball just like Jackie. Pee Wee Reese ...

    Read More

  • Drugs, Cheating, and the Purity of America's Pastime

    2872 Words  | 6 Pages

    Baseball, America’s pastime, is embedded in the fabric of society. The players and teams have come and gone, but the thing that remains constant is baseball’s ability to unite people as well as families. My own personal experience of this came right after September 11th, 2001. Following the tragedy that was 9/11, the country needed something to help everyone return to normalcy. In our moment of weakness and uncertainty, baseball helped calm my nerves. Fifty three thousand three hundred and twelve brothers stood up in unison and took back their lives. The electricity of that game, the sense of regularity in my life, and the knowledge that millions of people were finding comfort together with me during such a hard time, helped me feel a sense of closure that the worst was behind us.

    Read More

  • Essay On Baseball

    1352 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Integration of Baseball

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    Baseball, in the 1940s, was not an integrated sport, but rather followed a separate but equal policy. While the white players got paid a lot of money to play in the Major Leagues, the sometimes superior black players were left to play in the Negro Leagues, which did not pay as well. Many of these players gained notoriety through this league, such as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. While their records beat numerous of the white players records, racism was too bad to justify integrating the Major Leagues without someone who would not fight the callous abuse that was sure to come their way. One man was successful in finding the right man to play. Branch Rickey made baseball history by signing a black player to the Dodgers in 1947. The Negro League star players questioned his choice in players, but ultimately Rickey made the right decision by signing Jackie Robinson.

    Read More

  • The Baseball Of Baseball : America 's Pastime

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Media & Sports: How did Baseball get Affected by Steroids?

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Steroid Era Continues to Affect Major League Baseball." The Mass Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. .

    Read More

  • Impact of Baseball on American Culture and Society

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    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. Baseball developed before the Civil War but did not achieve professional status until the 1870s (The Baseball Glove, 2004). In 1871, the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was formed. Unfortunately, the organization ran into financial hardships and was abandoned in 1875.

    Read More

  • The History of Baseball

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • How Baseball Survived the Great Depression

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    Baseball remains today one of America’s most popular sports, and furthermore, baseball is one of America’s most successful forms of entertainment. As a result, Baseball is an economic being of its own. However, the sustainability of any professional sport organization depends directly on its economic capabilities. For example, in Baseball, all revenue is a product of the fans reaction to ticket prices, advertisements, television contracts, etc. During the devastating Great Depression in 1929, the fans of baseball experienced fiscal suffering. The appeal of baseball declined as more and more people were trying to make enough money to live. There was a significant drop in attention, attendance, and enjoyment. Although baseball’s vitality might have seemed threatened by the overwhelming Great Depression, the baseball community modernized their sport by implementing new changes that resulted in the game’s survival.

    Read More

  • Cultural Artifact: Baseball

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Impact: Alexander Cartwright’s changes made the game faster-paced and more challenging while setting it apart from games like cricket and rounders. In 1846, the Knickerbockers (Cartwright’s team) played the first official game of baseball against a team of cricket players, beginning a new, uniquely American tradition. In a matter of years, baseball became a professional

    Read More

  • Descriptive Essay On Baseball

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    A travel of over 3000 miles for some, a 210 mile drive for me, just to arrive at the biggest gathering of over 1,500 twelve year olds; all just to play baseball. The only place that would be suitable for such an event is Cooperstown Dream Parks, every baseball players heaven. Cars have come to Cooperstown from everywhere for this week long tournament. I met children my age from all over the United states. I became friends with kids from Ohio, Illinois, California, I even met a player from Puerto Rico who barely spoke any english. The windows of everyone 's car decorated with the names and numbers of teams and players. Excited baseball teams spill from their Barracks and hustle toward the already crowded seating area. Festive music played over

    Read More

  • Baseball is the National Pastime

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Importance Of Baseball In American Culture

Open Document