Baseball has been called America’s pastime. It’s a game that epitomizes summertime in the United States. People in every major city flock to the baseball diamond, eat hot dogs and caramel corn and cheer for their home team. Most of us today take baseball for granted without thinking about how it all started. If you’re a true baseball fan, learning as much about it as you can is something you owe yourself and the entire baseball community.
Baseball originates from similar bat and ball games that date back to the 1300s. In the United States, the game evolved into what was called town ball. The mid 1850s saw a huge increase in the game across America and it began being called a “national pastime.” In 1858, the first baseball games where admission was charged to watch were played in Corona, Queens New York. The baseball league was formally started in 1876 and became what is known today as Major League Baseball.
By 1903, there were two leagues and professional baseball was becoming increasingly popular all over the country. 1903 also saw the very first World Series, an event that would take over the hearts of people all over America for years to come. Professional players from all the teams began to get famous and become household names. Perhaps you’ve heard of some them.
Such greats as Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson changed the face of baseball. Their abilities on the diamond turned them into national icons who would have their moment of fame and create a legacy that continued long after each of them retired.
America isn’t the only country that plays baseball, however. Though it is considered “America’s pastime,” there are teams and players with incredible talent in other parts of the world as well. For example, Canada has a pretty famed baseball scene too. There are a number of European countries that have baseball teams as well. Baseball is also an Olympic sport and many greats have played for the country in addition to their hometown team.
The rules of the game haven’t changed too much. Each team has nine players in the field at one time. They stand at each of the bases, between second and third base and in the outfield. The object of the game is to score the most home runs in each inning and prevent the other team from scoring by getting outs. An out occurs when a player is tagged running between the bases, when an opposing team member touches the base first or when a player catches the ball when it is thrown or hit with the bat. The score of a baseball game is usually not high scoring with the number of runs typically being 10 or under.
The biggest cultural impact that baseball has had on American life is the baseball card craze. For many decades, baseball players have their own card, which fans can collect. Some cards are worth a lot of money, while others are not. The fun is in collecting an entire set for a certain team from a certain year, or getting a rookie card for a big name. Kids have been trading baseball cards for years and years and they will likely continue to do so for years to come.
Baseball is a sport that has had a huge impact on American culture and life and has played a part in the life of many people. Baseball isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and if you’ve never experienced a baseball game under the lights on a summer evening, you are missing out. Change that by getting a ticket today.
