Baseball History
The origins
Although today baseball is not given as much attention and scrutiny as American football or basketball, it can be given credit for winning a great popularity over a very short period.
Baseball appeared in the USA in the beginning of the 19th century. There is a popular theory, according to which the game was brought to the country by the British and Irish immigrants, where it had emerged from the popular kinds of sports (rounders and cricket). From the moment it stepped on the continent, it became extremely popular in small towns and villages. The teams were formed, merging into baseball clubs, situated in bigger towns.
The name associated with the history of baseball is Alexander Cartwright, who in 1845 had the idea of formalizing the rules of the game, thus providing for nationwide popularity. Cartwright fused all the variety of baseball regulations in the country into a set of rules that haven’t changed much since then. He also invented the baseball field the way it is today. The rules suggested by Alexander Cartwright and his colleagues were soon adopted by the majority of baseball players. Ironically, one year after the list of rules had been published and recognized, the team of Cartwright, Knickerbockers, lost in the game against New York Baseball Club in Hoboken, New Jersey.
In 1857, yet another important step was made, when a convention of amateur baseball teams was gathered. One year later, the National Association of Baseball Players was founded, which was the first league in the history of this sport; it was funded from the fees of fans.
In the years of the Civil War, baseball was gradually losing its popularity, but as the game was carried all over the country by the Union soldiers (who were naturally good baseball players), the new era began. After the end of the war, the number of people playing baseball increased dramatically, and that was just the beginning of it.
With time, finding money for team trips and organizing games was becoming more difficult, leading to the introduction of admission fees to the games. The money was used to pay the expenses, and sponsors were attracted from wherever possible. Even though the league was intended for baseball amateurs, little by little the players started to get paid for participating in the games. The first professional team, Cincinnati Red Stockings, was founded in 1869, and achieved great success losing no games.
Even thought there was a lot of controversy over the players getting money for the games, as baseball was seen by many on the amateur level, with the success of Cincinnati Red Stockings the concept of professional players, who would get regularly paid for games, started to look more appealing.
Two years after that, in 1871, the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was established; 5 years later the National League replaced it. This changed a lot: now the teams were owned by businesspersons, instead of by players, as it was before. The new kind of ownership led to the appearance of a rival league – from 1882, the American Association started its competition with the National League. However, after a decade of difficulties and controversy, the American Association ceased to exist, and the best teams joined the National League. Many other attempts were made to establish associations that would be a good alternative to the National League; this epic ended with the Supreme Court unanimously confirming the monopoly of the National League. The 1960s was the time, when baseball prospered – the National League agreed to expand, the sport brought a lot of money. Even though baseball has lost its popularity since then, it is still commonly known as “America’s National Pastime”.
A variety of baseball – softball – is now widespread in the USA, Japan and Czechia; it is a simplified kind, that can be played on small fields and even indoors. Other kinds of sport that are similar to baseball include cricket in England, lapta in Russia, oina in Romania and pesapolo in Finland. Due to the decrease in popularity in the countries-members of the International Olympic Committee and difficulties between the IOC and The Baseball League of the United States, the game was excluded from the Olympic Games; the last time it was played in Beijing, in August 2008.
Baseball equipment evolution
The evolution of the baseball equipment is, undoubtedly, very interesting to look into. Special gloves and helmets were introduced decades after the game had emerged.
The first mask was introduced in 1876, and was a modification of a fencing facial defense. The player who first used it in the game was able to get closer to the home base without the risk of being hit in the face. The creator of the catcher’s mask – F.W. Thayer patented the invention in 1878.
The first bats were quite different from the ones used these days. The difference was in the weight, thickness of the handle and taper. It was also common to paint rings on the bat to represent the colors of the team playing. Throughout the 19th century, decisions were constantly made and changed, in an attempt to standardize the size and image of the bat. The final length of the bat was established only in 1868 (42 inches), as for the thickness, it was officially stated in 1895 (2 ѕ inches).
The baseball mitt owes its evolution to the way the game was played; while it was clear catching tens of pitches during one game could result in a serious injury, usual leather work glove was replaced by a padded variant only in 1885. The rule issued in 1895 by the National League allowed the catcher and the first baseman to wear a glove of any size and shape, while all other players were limited to the weight of 10 ounces and no more than 14 inches in circumference of the palm.
Trivia
1. Back in the 1840s, baseball was known under a different name – Knickerbocker game. And, although the differences are obvious, we can say it can be called the prototype of the baseball we all know.
2. Although it has never been official, for a long time baseball was a segregated kind of sport, so it was difficult, especially for African American players, to join a professional team. It wasn’t until 1960-s when the situation became more or less fair and unprejudiced.
(c) BaseballNewsOnline.com
