digg this   del.icio.us   stumble it

The Sport of Baseball And Where It Came From

Among the most popular sports in the United States is baseball. Major League Baseball attracts thousands of fans every summer and they just keep wanting more. When it's World Series time each fall, millions watch the games on TV and loudly cheer their favorite teams.

Baseball in its pure form is a difficult especially with respect to pitching. This has given rise to many different variants of this national pastime such as softball and slow-pitch. These versions also have their own leagues.

Basically baseball is a game centred on skill with an emphasis on hand-eye coordination involved in hitting a ball travelling at 50 miles per hour. This is the reason that parents put their children into baseball rather than hockey or football which involve body contact. Baseball has a well developed infrastructure in America through its various leagues, little, minor, major etc.

The history of baseball is hard to pinpoint since many forms of it have shown up all over the world, but in the US, the first teams began popping up in the early 1800s. The game was based primarily on an English game called rounders. By the end of the century it was easily the most popular sport in the nation. In 1845 Alexander Cartwright had created the modern baseball field as we know it. He is also credited with coming up with the modern set of baseball rules.

Cartwright's team played the first recorded baseball game in history in 1946. Ever since that day men and women of all ages have been in love with baseball. Anyone can play this game and its derivatives, as players don't have to be outstanding athletes.

Baseball players such as Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire have become household names. Youngsters idolise the top players of the Major league and hope to be the next Willie Mays. Some people simply like to go to batting cages to try their hand at hitting the ball.

A popular attraction, bringing thousands to visit each year, is the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. It holds souvenirs that once belonged to the most famous players in baseball's American past and present. You can look at jerseys, bats and any number of other things. Any time you are on the east coast, head for Cooperstown, New York and pay a visit to the Hall of Fame. You don't necessarily have to love baseball. It's a great place to take a tour of this popular American sport, learn its history, and find out about the most prominent players.

All kinds of people continue to love baseball. They enjoy playing it as well as watching it. Proff of its popularity (were it needed) is the fact that we can even listen to baseball songs.

Rate this Article : 5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5   (Not yet Rated)