Baseball : America 's Pastime Of The Past

Baseball has been label as America’s pastime since before the civil war, and Opening Day kicks off the season. This is the beginning of a new season and the opportunity to accomplish your goals; this symbolizes the American dream, and the every changing society in America. Throughout this essay we’ll discuss four images that illustrate how baseball is shaped by American culture.

Baseball was and forever will be America’s pastime. It wouldn’t be the American pastime if it hadn’t been the sport that generations have continually grown up playing. From the industrial revolution to the Cold War and present day, baseball has survived countless economic endeavors and national hardships. The sport itself has had such an impact on our country and society as a whole. Baseball continues to prosper and be a huge part of our lives. There are many reasons why this decade had the biggest impact of all. The 50’s was the most controversial and most meaningful decade of baseball, which had a huge impact on society itself and changed the game forever.

Going…going…gone! As one of America’s greatest pastimes, baseball brings fans from around the world to support their players in competitive games against opposing teams. Known as the “Great American Game,” baseball has transformed history and influenced American culture for many years. Famous professional players, including Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, and countless others have impacted America in matters beyond the baseball field. Robinson, for example, shattered the racial barrier when he became the first African American to play on a professional sports team. Baseball is more than just a game, and it is a lifestyle that has defined my path after high school and molded my character.

"Baseball as America." Academic Search Premier. Spec. issue of USA Today Magazine 1 Apr. 2002: n. pag. EBSCO. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. The Baseball Hall of Fame is an iconic American landmark, which houses thousands of artifacts from baseball's crude beginnings to its current day glory. This piece is simple, yet it demonstrates what an important aspect of American culture baseball has become. The artifacts demonstrate how far baseball has come, among its highlights are Jackie Robinson's uniform, articles from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and even "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's cleats. Pictures accompany the article which adds the needed bit of glamour to illustrate how greatly baseball has influenced American

There is something magical in the crack of a baseball bat meeting a baseball. The hush of the crowd before the pitch allows the 1.4 kHz to echo through the stadium. This sound needs no onomatopoeia; we can all recall it from a memory at a baseball park or from any of the countless baseball movies ever produced. This classic sound has traveled through the years, from the beginnings of professional baseball to today. First called a national pastime in 1856, baseball has endured over two hundred and twenty years as a sport in America, almost as long as America has been America. It has been with us through revolutions, civil wars, world wars, and depressions. To quote Gerald Early in Ken Burns’ documentary, Baseball, “There are only three things that America will be remembered for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: The Constitution, Jazz music, and Baseball.”

The sport of baseball has been a staple in American culture since the 1800s and has been deemed America’s past time for many years. The addition of African Americans into Major League Baseball has made it a richer game. The United States of America is known as a huge melting pot as many immigrants and refugees would come to America as a new home and beginning. Baseball was a game that brought happiness to all Americans, despite their color, ethnicity or background. Major League Baseball began in about 1867 and prior to the 19th century, we all know that the United States of America was built on slavery. Even after the slaves were emancipated racial tensions still ran high. The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery

Baseball is known as one of America's favorite pastimes. A fun filled family outing would include a picnic and a trip to see their favorite Major League Baseball team play. The faces of the children would light up when they caught a foul ball. This pastime of "baseball" was one of segregation and a naïve sense of enjoyment, for the "baseball" that they knew was a game of only Caucasian Americans. Little did they know, some of the most talented players were African-American. These black baseball players had to play in a separate league. It was called the Negro League, and this league along would change America's view of "baseball" forever (Sigworth, 2003).

The article “America’s Pastime” by Robert S. Fay and Tom Pfannoch, teaches readers about the history of baseball. The first unofficial baseball games were played in the early 1800’s, these games otherwise known as “town ball”. One of the earliest organizations to influence modernized baseball was the knickerbockers, the knickerbockers put together a set of rules and gave the game structure which helped standardize how the game is played today. Soon after, the game spread throughout the country and gained popularity among players and spectators as well, which led to the professional sport of baseball. Following the professionalization of the sport many leagues were formed, the present day MLB (Major League Baseball) has been considered America’s

From the first click of the turnstiles to the last crack of the bat, a baseball game is perhaps the most truly American of anything in the United States” (“Project”). This is how baseball started up and began all over and in Chicago.

Baseball is America’s past time. The most recognized sport in this generation. I would include baseball gloves and a baseball. Baseball represents the iconic father-son relationship. Growing up playing catch in the front yard is something many kids have experienced. Baseball not only brings families together, but races as well. The first desegregated professional sports game was a baseball game. The color barrier between races in sports had been destroyed when an African American stepped on to a major league baseball field. All sports have baseball to thank for the desegregation of American sports. This made sports a tremendous form of recreations and media, making up most of the free time in this generation.

Lets take a look into why I believe that baseball has not only followed in the footsteps our “Great Country”, but is still “America’s Pastime.” Ask yourself, “is baseball our country’s sport, has it not evolved with our great nation?” The answer is yes, for many reasons. Lets take a look back in history, “President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared, ‘that all persons held as slaves’ within the rebellious states ‘are, and henceforward shall be free.’ Despite this expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched

It is a game of inches played nearly everywhere by every age. From backyards to little league parks and professional stadiums, by tee-ball playing kindergartners to old-timer leagues, baseball is a game that is considered America’s pastime for a good reason. Baseball, and simply sports in general, help teach many important life lessons such as hard work, sportsmanship and dedication. These qualities, along with many other things, are necessary for success in today’s world. The sport of baseball is very popular in other countries as well, and for many of the youth in these countries, it represents a way out. A way out from the poverty and crime and a way to a better life here in America. Out of all of the opportunities afforded to me

Baseball is referred to as “America’s Pastime.” Many people argue it is one of the hardest sports to succeed in. Out of the four major sports in the United States, hitting a 95 mile per hour fastball is a goal only few can accomplish at a professional level. With only 750 players throughout 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, the odds of making it to “The Show” are highly unlikely. To make it to the big leagues as an African American player was an even harder feat to accomplish in the mid to late 1900’s. Baseballs Greatest Experiment tells the story of how MLB was an all white mans game up until the death of Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis in 1944. Team owners and the commissioner did not want to integrate African Americans into the MLB; “some experts argued that the absence of blacks in the majors stemmed from their lack of talent, intelligence and desire” ( Tygiel, 32). Since Jackie Robinson overcame many obstacles, baseball players and fans alike can argue that he paved the way for African Americans in baseball and challenged societal social structure.

Baseball was the “national pastime” in the 1920s. More people went to baseball games, more people followed baseball, and more people played

Throughout the semester we have read a variety of books with different themes. One book that really caught my eye was The Natural by Bernard Malamud. It was a book on how the sport of baseball really impacted a life and how it helped him understand the way of life. That is why I chose an article written by Kent Cartwright and Mary McElroy called “Malamud’s “The Natural” and the appeal of baseball in American culture. The title of this article caught my attention because we all see baseball as an American sport and I wanted to see how that affects the American culture. Throughout the article they talk about how baseball could be seen similar to American culture in the individuality aspect. It is also seen how the sport is related to the real