Baseball as America's Sport

     As a sports fan growing up in America, what sport did you play? This is the question asked by young kids in our country. To this day the sport known as America's sport is baseball. Since the 21st century the label of baseball younger children have questioned being America’s sport in the modern day. Baseball is clearly America’s sport to this day, for reason from the past and present. I think that baseball is America's sport because the history, cultural values, and passion is by far the strongest in the game of baseball than any other sport out there. The objective should be to inform our new generations why baseball is still America's sport and always will be. 

     Baseball is known as America's sport for many different reasons. One reason is due to the history of the game. "If there is any sport out there with history and tradition it is baseball." (Keith Kingston) For example baseball made a major impact in U.S history by starting a change in the color barrier. Segregation was a major problem in our country by not allowing any African Americans to play in the major leagues. Jackie Robinson was the first African American play to have the opportunity to play with the best players in the world. Brooklyn Dodgers general manager, Branch Rickey, gave this opportunity to Jackie. Branch called signing Jackie Robinson as "great experiment". That "great experiment" made major impact on our country for the best, by starting to movement that everybody is created equal.

     Thanks to the history of the game of baseball, the impact on our cultural values among us as Americans has been extremely large. Philosopher Jacques Barzun once observed, "that anyone wishing to understand the heart and mind of America should study the sport of baseball." (Ronald Briley) For example reaching far out from the actual game, some of America's best writers have used the imagery of baseball such as Thomas Wolfe. A quote from Thomas Wolfe: "Is there anything that can evoke spring--the first fine days of April--better than the sound of the ball smacking into the pocket of the big mitt, the sound of the bat as it hits the horse hide: for me, at any rate, and I am being literal and not rhetorical--almost everything I know about spring is in it--the first leaf, the jonquil, the maple tree, the smell of grass upon your hands and knees, the coming into flower of April" (Ronald Briley) This piece started the country's love for the nature of baseball in its young years, growing the culture of urban America to adopted the game as a favorite. Also many A number of professionals in this field of research have suggested that baseball may be looked at as a reflection in which values, power, politics, fashion, class, economics, and race may be viewed. Showing how a simple game can change the cultural values of a entire country is fascinating. The impacts of baseball on our country are massive, but the opportunity of the movement in America started with the passion for the game. 

     Baseball is a game that needs to be watched and played with passion. Passion is a key element to all the success towards the game. People in America fell in love with the game from the start, allowing the fan base to be large enough to make an impact on the country. Our society watched and played this game with so much passion nothing else mattered. That is why, for example when Jackie Robinson made his major league debut the entire country found out and started the reformation of civil rights. A favorite quote of mine is "Baseball is Life". These three words show the amount of heart and soul really goes into the game, and why it is America's sport.  

     Along with all the greatness that comes with baseball there has also been negative activities. The largest negative activity seen by the entire country was the fight between baseball and steroids. This situation of having the game is infected with athletes that use performance-enhancing drugs, gave our country the opportunity to find another love, and start the departing from America's sport. Everything that goes up must come down, but our society should see where our values come from and that we need to bring baseball back to the top not push it down.

     Baseball is America's sport to this day because the history, cultural values, and passion that has come out of this sport over its lifetime. Even though today people enjoy watching fights, blood, and contact sports, baseball will always be a sport followed by the country with the most respect and passion. Along with the few people that dislike the sport of baseball, they should sit down and understand why this game is so important to our country and their lives. Maybe after learning of all the reasons, they will understand the sport of America.

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Dstern- Unit 4 Portfolio