Baseball America?s Pastime Most cultures have some sort of stick and ball game, cricket being most well known. The exact of baseball?s origin is unknown, most historians agree that it is based on the English game rounders. Baseball became popular in this country in the early 19th century and many sources report the growing popularity of a game called townball, base or baseball. There were leagues early as 1858 but once the National league (1875) and later American League came (1901), no other leagues stood a chance. The first team in the national league was the Cincinnati Red stockings.
America has come a Long way and so has baseball. The two really helped each other develop. Baseball has not always been much about the money early on players would have to get other jobs in the off season because there was no way to live off a baseball's salary.
English: Publicity photo of Jackie Robinson as an ...
Jackie Robinson swinging a bat in Dodgers uniform,...
English: Red Stockings of Cincinnati, 1869. C. Hur...In 1997 the Average MLB player made more than 1.3 million. The minimum was $150,000.00. Baseball?s players are not the only ones making money. A professional umpire makes $200,000.00 a tear. How bout the coaching staff, the scouts, the agents, the field workers. There are also ticket people, food people, security, baseball card companies, magazines, and uniforms, cleat companies, gear companies that sell it to the millions that play in all leagues. There is more than one professional league. There are the minor leagues and all the others so think how many jobs that are. Baseball doesn?t just do things for our economy it gets kids that usually wouldn?t go to college into college. Baseball can keep kids out of trouble and in school.
Before 1947 it wasn?t a written rule but they simply did not let blacks into the major leagues. In 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. It took ten years for all the teams to be integrated but the league wasn?t really integrated until the early sixties. There was a lot of reluctance to letting the blacks in but once they realized it was all ok Than Americans starting feeling the same about neighborhoods and jobs etc. Some say baseball was the real start to integrating America.
Baseball does A lot of good in America for our economy and for us as people. I am the person I am because of baseball. I have learned many lessons about life. I have learned about responsibility, hard work and have met my friends through baseball. I?m sure a lot of people feel the same way I do about baseball and if they don?t than they do about some other sport but all in all I think baseball has done better for he country than a lot of things. Baseball is more than a game. It?s a passion, dream and life for many and it will always be a part of them even after they hang up their hat.
English: Jackie Robinson
English: The 1888 Cincinnati Red Stockings.
Color lithograph of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stocki...