Aviva Directory » Sports & Recreation » Ball Games » Baseball » Baseball History

This portion of our web guide focuses on the history of baseball and its variations.

Although American football and basketball have surpassed baseball in popularity as a spectator sport, baseball is often referred to as America's national pastime.

I was a child in the 1950s and 1960s outside of a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that had a population of just over two hundred. Yet, we had two Little League teams, a Babe Ruth League team and an elementary school team, each with their own diamonds. We also had an elementary school baseball program with a baseball field, and another was at the county park. As if that wasn't enough, my older brother built a full-size baseball diamond across the road from our house, and we had a buntball diamond in a side yard.

Baseball may not be as popular now as it was then, but the game continues to be played in vacant lots and fields throughout the country, and most towns have, at least, a Little League program. Schools, at all levels, including colleges and universities, have baseball teams, and professional baseball games are usually sold out.

The game's origins are somewhat murky, although it is generally accepted that its roots are in bat-and-ball games played in 18th-century England. Games like rounders and cricket are believed to have influenced the development of baseball.

However, the modern version of the game originated in the United States during the mid-19th century, particularly in New York City, where Alexander Joy Cartwright played a significant role. Cartwright, a member of the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club, is credited with developing the first official rules for the game in 1845. These rules introduced the three-strike rule, foul balls, and the concept of a strike zone. Revised over time, the Knickerbocker Rules laid the foundation for modern baseball.

Long heralded as the father of baseball, it seems clear that Abner Doubleday, a Union Army officer during the Civil War, did not invent the game. However, he introduced the new game to his soldiers, who carried it back to their hometowns after the war, thus spreading it throughout much of the country. For his part, Doubleday never claimed to have invented the game and was prouder of his military accomplishments.

Professional baseball came about in the latter part of the 19th century. The first professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, formed in 1869. Founded in 1876, the National League was the first major professional league, followed by the American League in 1901. These leagues merged to form Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1903, the year that the first World Series was played.

African-Americans played a significant role in the early years of professional baseball. Barred from MLB in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African-American players formed the Negro Leagues, which were prominent in the 1920s and 1930s. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in MLB in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Amateur baseball, sometimes known as sandlot or town-team baseball, has long provided opportunities for players to develop their skills and compete against teams from neighboring towns and cities. These teams were later organized into the Little League and the Babe Ruth League, although children continue to come together to play baseball outside of these structures.

High School and collegiate baseball programs also serve as stepping stones for aspiring professional players, and a growing number of spectators are attending collegiate and Minor League games or following them on television.

Baseball's popularity extends beyond the United States and Canada today, with the sport gaining a strong following in countries like Japan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and South Korea. Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) League, founded in 1936, is one of the most prominent professional leagues outside of North America. Despite political barriers, Cuba has produced several MLB stars, as has the Dominican Republic, while the South Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has become a significant league.

The importance of baseball in the lives of regular people is not restricted to professional baseball. Even those who never aspired to play professionally have memories of the game, having played it at some level as a child or following their favorite teams as adults.

While it may no longer be America's most popular spectator sport, baseball may still lay claim to a role as America's pastime.

Online resources for baseball history are appropriate in this category.

Categories

Negro Leagues

Vintage Base Ball

 

 

Recommended Resources


Search for Baseball History on Google or Bing