After learning and playing they were able to take all this back with them and explain it to their friends. This was one of the key ways that baseball was spread in the 1860's (Dreifort 20). There is a story that tells of how two teams were playing a game when a shot was heard from the outfield. The teams looked back and saw that their center fielder had been shot and captured. The other outfielders managed to make it back; however, the teams were deeply saddened because the captured soldier had their only baseball. The game they had grown to love was going to have to be postponed until they could either find another ball or make one (Radar 18). This goes to show how much the game meant to these soldiers. The soldiers are out at war and instead of being concerned about if enemy troops are coming they are playing a baseball game. They are playing this game because of their love for it and its popularity. The Civil War had a great effect on baseball, and without it baseball may not still be around today.
Another such factor that helped the rise in baseball is how much of a social activity it was. Attracting women to the games was a task that the men were proud of (Dreifort 7). They were able to show off their skills in front of the women who were more than eager to watch this sport. The men would occasionally glance up in the stands and look for girls. After noticing girls watching the game, the men would try their best in hopes to impress the girls. Another effect of the baseball is the atmosphere. This brings great excitement to people's lives. Some people even depend on baseball as an escape from the real world. When they are at a baseball game they are relaxed and nothing else in the world matters to them. Bill Lee, a former Major League Pitcher, said, "It's fun, it's timeless, it's a relationship between a father and a son, it's a transition into manhood. It's a great zen game" (Kinsella 19).