BASEBALL
Ingrained in American
Folklore, the story of baseball begins in 1837 with a young troop named Abner
Doubleday who invented the game utilizing a simple stick and ball in the city
of Cooperstown, where the current Baseball Hall of Fame stands now. Although much of this story has now been
proven incorrect – the founding father of baseball is credited to Alexander
Cartwright – baseball has grown side by side with the nation, and has become
known as ’America’s Pastime’.
The game will always occupy an important place in American culture.
The game is relatively
simple – being played with a bat, a ball, four bases in a diamond formation, a
pitcher, a batter, and fielders awaiting every move. Its beauty lies in its
simplicity, and no game has generated so much interest for so long throughout
American history. Throughout the nation’s
evolution – the development of American industry; the rise to Superpower
status; involvement in major combat from the Civil War to the War on Terror; the
terms of 36 presidents; the one constant throughout has been baseball.
Philosopher Jacques Barzun
once observed that anyone wishing to understand the heart and mind of America
should study the sport of baseball. Many scholars agree that indeed baseball
seems to embody many of the values that dominate an urbanized and
industrialized America. Baseball may be
perceived as a sort of mirror in which American values, power, politics,
fashion, class, economics, and race may be viewed in this microcosm. Baseball
reveals significant themes like urbanism, technology, class, race, and gender
and can be seen as a force for passing along such essential values as hard
work, social mobility, democracy, and teamwork.
From the late 19th century,
two professional leagues – the National and American Leagues, were independently
operated. The winners of each league
would play each other to determine the best team in the World Series,
with the first World Series being played in 1884. In 1920, both leagues began to operate under one governing body –
Major League Baseball (MLB), which is the highest level of professional
baseball in the world. Since MLB’s
inception, the game of baseball has flourished.
Baseball is a game of patience
and possibility. With every pitch and
every play, there is always anticipation, because in every pitch and every play
there is the potential to witness a moment of greatness. Baseball has produced such memorable moments
and cultural icons from Babe Ruth’s historic home run feats, Jackie Robinson
shattering the color barrier as the first black man in American professional
sports, Hank Aaron chasing Babe Ruth’s career record under the constant stress
and physical threat, to today’s Barry Bonds, the most feared hitter in the
game.
Indeed, baseball is truly a great
game!
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