QOD 11/28 Is baseballAmerica’s game?

Who invented Baseball?

British folk games of Rounders, Cricket, Stoolball, Tip-cat, Trap-ball, and Cat and Dog

The Abner Doubleday myth• Veteran of Civil War, Mexican War and the Indian wars

The myth was created by Al Spalding, to end the years of controversy on the creation of the sport.

Claimed Doubleday invented the game in rural Cooperstown, NY

The Truth?

• The game probably was developed with influence from the English folk games.

• Alexander Cartwright gets the credit for being the first person to formally introduce the game of baseball

Knickerbocker Nine

• Club of elitist that wanted to practice playing the game called the national pastime. 1845 Beat in their first competition to the New York Nine (23-1)

Knickerbocker Rules• Used as a guide for baseball in the New York area.• Become the basis for the rules of the modern game.• Revised in 1857 by the National Association of Base Ball

Players (NABBP)• By 1862 The NABBP was offering games in enclosed stadiums

for an admission price

• Knickerbocker Baseball Rules

The Civil War’s influence

• The movements of soldiers and exchanges of prisoners helped spread the game.

• 1865 Teams emerged as far west as Kansas and as far south as Tennessee

• 1869 the first openly professional team forms: The Cincinnati Red Stockings

• http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/21509.html

African Americans in Baseball• Few AA’s played baseball in the early years. • The first major league AA baseball player is

Moses Fleetwood Walker who played for the Toledo Blue Stockings which joined the Major league American Association in 1884

African Americans in Baseball Cont.

• Shortly after Walker’s debut a “Gentlemen’s Agreement”/ Color Line was made that did not allow blacks in the major leagues until Jackie Robinson in 1947.

• Players such as Cap Anson refused to take the field if a black player was on it.

Today’s leagues form• The National Association fields 9 teams in 1871 and

grows to 13 in 1875.• Gambling, liquor sales, and other corruption drives

away crowds. • 1875 National League forms with businessmen

owning the teams instead of the players.• 1882 American Association competes with lower

ticket prices. • An agreement is made that makes the major league

owners gain control of player contracts.

Today’s leagues form

• Players revolted and tried to start their own league (The Players League) in both 1884 and 1890 both failed by going bankrupt.

• The American League formed in 1901 and raided many of the best National League players.

• The National League reaction forced the leagues to select a 3 man panel to run the leagues as they coexisted peacefully.

Progress and controversy • Up to this point is referred to as the dead-ball era.• Strategy, bunting, base/place hitting, and base

running was the way to generate offense.• The ball was used for a long time maybe even 100

pitches before being replaced.• 1914 the Federal League sued claiming the major

leagues were a monopoly. The supreme court responded by saying that baseball was exempt from anti-monopoly legislation.

The stage is set for what is to come!!!!!!!!!