The Rise of America

1
The Rise of Americas National Game
2
19th Century Baseball

• Three Stages
• Bat-and-ball games played by boys
• The club-based (fraternal game)
• Commercial Spectator Sport
• National League was formed in 1876- Baseball
  became a business.

3

• 1845- New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club was
  formed. Influenced by Alexander Cartwright.
• Knickerbocker- Descendants from Dutch settlers
  who wore funny looking pants.

4
Early Baseball

• Played on a diamond-shaped infield.
• Three strike rule
• No umpires to call balls and strikes
• Umpires sat at a table along the first base line,
  acquiring more responsibility.
• Fielders wore no gloves
• Pitchers got a running start and threw the ball
  underhanded from 45 feet.

5
Competitions

• Winning team received the game ball
• Outcome inscribed on the ball and put in the
  clubs trophy case.
• Home club frequently provided the visitors with a
  gala dinner.

6
Henry Chadwick

• Known as father Chadwick
• Edited baseballs first annual guidebook
• Invented the box score and batting averages

7
Americas National Pastime

• Mid-1850s was being called the national game
• Baseball Club Names Young America, Union, Eagle,
  American and National.

8
Compatible with Victorian values???

• Encourage manliness/ Self control.
• According to the Brooklyn Eagle, baseball kept
  youngsters out of a great deal of mischief
  (Baseball) keeps them from hanging around fire
  engine houses, stables and taverns.

9
Beginning of Professional base ball playing

• William H. Cammeyer, built a fence around some
  land that he owned and charged admission to
  spectators.
• Teams
• Played more games
• Practice more
• Hand long summer tours
• Recruited athletes (Some even got paid)

10
Cranks or Kranks

• Fanatics who cheered , heckled umpires and
  opposing players and even rioted at times.

11
Respectability of the Game

• Tainted by gambling and game dumping.
• Fans felt that some games were fixed.
• On several occasions, bettors even mobbed playing
  fields to prevent the competition of games in
  which they stood to lose money.

12
Cincinnati Red Stocking

• Nations first publicly announced, all-salaried
  team.
• 1869- Record was 58-0-1

13

• President Ulysses S. Grant welcomed the team to
  Washington D.C.
• Grant had a horse named Cincinnati.
• In September of 1869 the Reds crossed the U.S. by
  railroads to play games in California.

14

• The National Association of Professional Base
  Ball Players (1871-1875) was baseballs first
  professional league.
• This league was not very professional.
• 10.00 entry fee to compete for championship
• Teams scheduled own matches
• Players free to move from one team to the next
  after each season

15
The National League of Professional Base Ball
Clubs

• Founded by William A. Hulbert and Albert
  Spalding.
• Teams could only be owned by join-stock companies
  of cities of 75,000 or more residents.

16
Seeking approval from Victorians

• Clubs wishing to join the league
• Be approved by existing clubs
• Ban Sunday games
• Prohibit liquor sales in ball parks
• Charge 50 cents admission fee