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History of Baseball
This is a three part story on the History of Baseball.
A Brief History of Baseball:
Part 1 of 3: Origins of the Game
Unlike professional basketball and American football, interest in baseball has
not been sweeping the globe as it is the World Series that rejuvenates peoples
interest in baseball as it is the pinnacle of what baseball is about. Declining participation at the amateur level and
protracted labor problems at the professional level have thrust "America's
Pastime" into an era of uncertainty. Despite this current adversity,
baseball will always occupy an important place in American culture. This column
starts a three part look at the history of baseball.
Most cultures have some sort of stick and ball game, cricket being the most
well-known. While the exact origins of baseball are unknown, most historians
agree that it is based on the English game of rounders. It began to become quote
popular in this country in the early 19th century, and many sources report the
growing popularity of a game called "townball", "base", or
"baseball".
Throughout the early part of that century, small towns formed teams, and
baseball clubs were formed in larger cities. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright
wanted to formalize a list of rules by which all team could play. Much of that
original code is still in place today. Although popular legend says that the
game was invented by Abner Doubleday, baseball's true father was Cartwright.
The first recorded baseball contest took place a year later, in 1846.
Cartwright's Knickerbockers lost to the New York Baseball Club in a game at the
Elysian Fields, in Hoboken, New Jersey. These amateur games became more frequent
and more popular. In 1857, a convention of amateur teams was called to discuss
rules and other issues. Twenty five teams from the northeast sent delegates. The
following year, they formed the National Association of Base Ball Players, the
first organized baseball league. In its first year of operation, the league
supported itself by occasionally charging fans for admission. The future looked
very bright.
The early 1860s, however were a time of great turmoil in the United States. In
those years of the Civil War, the number of baseball clubs dropped dramatically.
But interest in baseball was carried to other parts of the country by Union
soldiers, and when the war ended there were more people playing baseball than
ever before. The league’s annual convention in 1868 drew delegates from over
100 clubs.
As the league grew, so did the expenses of playing. Charging admission to games
started to become more common, and teams often had to seek out donations or
sponsors to make trips. In order for teams to get the financial support they
needed, winning became very important. Although the league was supposed to be
comprised of amateurs, many players were secretly paid. Some were given jobs by
sponsors, and some were secretly paid a salary just for playing.
In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings decided to become a completely
professional team. Brothers Harry and George Wright recruited the best players
from around the country, and beat all comers. The Cincinnati team won sixty-five
games and lost none. The idea of paid players quickly caught on.
Some wanted baseball to remain an amateur endeavor, but there was no way they
could compete with the professional teams. The amateur teams began to fade away
as the best players became professionals. In 1871, the National Association
became the first professional baseball league.
Here is History
of Baseball Part 2 of 3 , Here is History
of Baseball Part 3 of 3
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