Although actually begun in the early 1800s as an American variation of the English game of Rounders, it was very casual and unceremonious at first, with rules fluctuating from place to place. In 1845, a more formalized version of baseball came into existence with the invention of the modern baseball field by Alexander Cartwright. He and his teammates from the New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club also devised the first rules and regulations of the modern game of baseball. By the late 1850s, the game was becoming more democratized, coinciding with the beliefs of the American populous of the time.

As the game became more structured, it rapidly began gaining popularity among the American people. Its pastoral image recalled a much simpler, more carefree time. “Our modern sports are attempts to break out of an artificially imposed confinement” (Bjarkman 116). The game prided itself upon perseverance through teamwork and a cooperative effort. It

In the late 1800s to the early 1900s, A.G. Spalding, the “Father of Baseball” established professional baseball as a stable commercial enterprise. “He was a consummate businessman, seeking profits with stealth and steadfast determination. Aggressive, dominant, manipulative, and ruthless—Spalding stood as a symbol of entrepreneurial America” (21). With his self-made success in both the competitive and business aspects of the game, he was the embodiment of the American Dream.

It had become imperative for baseball to take the game to the people, precisely as it had in the earlier part of the century with the construction of the urban parks. America’s population had already begun the westward and southward shift. In 1958, the Dodgers and Giants made their move to the California. The move to Los Angeles and San Francisco brought baseball into step with America, which had long since recognized them as such. The departure of these two legendary teams from New York served to immensely increase the desire for baseball in new boomtowns like Houston, Atlanta, and Minneapolis as well. Baseball had definitely earned its reputation as “National pastime.”

The 1930s and 1940s brought with them the particularly rough eras of the Great Depression and World War II. Now more than ever, America needed an escape. “As the nation struggled, and as foreign affairs gained greater significance, baseball emerged as an exporter of American values” (Tygiel 124). Even the immigrants and the working class were still able to find players with whom they could identify. It was this familiarity that brought them hope and strength during the hard times. In the latter portion of this decade, “professionalism, albeit suffused with politics, became a standard of government administration, and public works an effective way to stimulate local economies while creating an infrastructure that was fundamental to sustaining private commerce” (Sullivan 75). Baseball was not only a source of diversion anymore, but means for revitalization as well.

Baseball has become a “microcosm of America, a reflection of the national transition to urbanism, professionalism, and commercialism, which accompanied industrial capitalism” (Tygiel 122). It has coincided with many major events throughout history. Issues of immigration, social control, social mobility, and “political machinery” have been manifested in the rise of baseball throughout the years. We have all grown up with baseball. We mark the passage of time with it; we grow old with it. It is our game, for all our days.

No other game in America has managed to earn recognition as the “National Pastime.” In short, baseball was a game created by Americans for Americans. It grew even as war raged throughout the nation. It united areas still split with regionalism and merged them with patriotic sentiments.

Some topics in this essay:
American Dream, War Instead, Minneapolis Baseball, Americans Americans, Ball Club, II America, , African Americans, Home Run, AG Spalding, game baseball, baseball game, ground americans classes, game days, “national pastime”, ground americans, american people, embodiment american, war ii, diversion baseball, tygiel 124, world war ii,