Baseball America\'s Past Time

¶ … Baseball Still America's Pastime?

There was a time when baseball was akin to religion. Baseball was played and discussed in small towns and large cities from coast to coast. But today many feel baseball is a dying sport. There are those who contend baseball is slowly and sadly fading away, overrun by a fast-paced, multi-cultural, technology driven society. In today's America baseball must contend with summer basketball, soccer, football in the spring and fall, and extreme sports. Furthermore, sedentary lifestyles brought about by technology have more children sitting indoors at computers and video games and fewer filling out enrollment forms for little league. And there are those who argue the game has grown boring from a lack of parity with the same teams continually dominating the sport. But is this truly the case? Is baseball dying?

Discussion

Background

There is some dispute as to when the game of baseball actually began to be played since reference can be found dating back several centuries to European games that are conceivably the early ancestors of the modern game. In the United States the first know reference appeared in1791 in Pittsfield Massachusetts, where legislation was enacted prohibiting the game near the town meeting house. There is little dispute the game as we know it today came about in 1845 when a member of the New York Knickerbockers' Club, Alexander Cartwright laid out the first set modern rules. The first official game took place in 1846 and grew in popularity until by the end of the Civil War journalist's were referring to the game as "America's Pastime" ("History of Baseball").

Ironically the Civil War did much to advance America's Pastime. During this period several prototypes of the game were melded into what we more or less recognize as today's game. This synthesis took place in the camps where officers from both sides permitted and even encouraged baseball playing and also in the prisons of the North and the South, notably those in Salisbury, North Carolina, and Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, Ohio, where a few lucky inmates were able to enjoy for a moment a respite from their harsh reality. After the war these men took the game with them back to their respective hometowns (Kirsch).

In its early years baseball was strictly an amateur sport, but after club owners began to sell admission to the events several clubs began to turn professional. From 1871 through 1875 the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players existed and is considered by many to be the first major league. In 1876 the National League began. This marked the beginning of what contemporary fans recognize as modern baseball. The National League was an organization of clubs, not players as before, and implemented tighter rules on game schedules, gambling and player contracts. Professional baseball expanded in the late 1800s, with clubs from New York to Florida to California, as well as the first Negro Leagues. Over the last decades of the nineteenth century several leagues similar to the National League arose and ultimately failed until the somewhat successful Western League declared its intent to operate as a major league and changed its name to the American League in 1901("History of Baseball").

After 1902, both leagues signed an agreement that established their dominance as major leagues over the numerous other independent leagues. In addition, the two leagues agreed to cease the practice of cross-league raids on player contracts, which had been a serious problem. They also established the World Series, which was first held in 1903, with the Boston Americans defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates. Baseball witnessed several changes in the style of play, as well as considerable expansion in the following century, but the game has remained substantially the same.

The State of Baseball

Many argue baseball is alive, well and strong. James Morisette, the founder and president of Basebook Baseball Social Network and sports writer says baseball is resilient, and despite decades of change, controversy and a tough economy, baseball has gotten a second wind. Those who support the notion baseball is healthy point to several indicators. They note that despite brutal April weather last season, big league baseball still drew more than 77 million fans. Minor league ballpark gates swung open for 41 million people the same year. They also point to the fact 15 million children around the country play amateur baseball each spring and summer. These figures do not account for steady growth within college baseball and professional baseball leagues overseas. Despite a tough economy, all economic signs point to a game that will continue to grow.

The notion that baseball is dying has been kicking around for years. Let's look at some facts. The past eight seasons have produced the eight highest attendance totals in major league history, including four records, this despite a national economic downturn that began in 2007. Merchandise sales have set records in each of the past five years. MLB.com has been the top-selling sports application since its debut in 2008 and multi-platform MLB.TV subscriptions are up 50% over the past year. The Los Angeles Dodgers recently sold for $2 billion dollars, a record for any sports franchise in any sport. More people are enjoying the sport in more ways than ever before, and counting the viewers of all 30 teams and national broadcasts more people are watching the sport on television than ever before as well. (Rosenthal).