Baseball
by Chad P.
American Baseball transformed greatly in the 1890’s. The results of many of these transformations persist in baseball today. The social and economic conditions of the late nineteenth century shaped the status of American sports of the time, and baseball was no exception. The mid-nineteenth century began the formation of baseball clubs and the standardization of baseball rules. However the turmoil of the 1890’s as a result of competing league structures, team strikes, and player’s moral issues lead to the arrangement of the National and American Leagues and the current rules of modern American Baseball.
The social and political climate of the nineteenth century allowed for the necessary circumstances for the formation of modern American Baseball. The transformation of the United States from a rural society to an urban-industrial society helped create the conditions for the popularization of professional sports. Economic prosperity increased standards of living and created increased leisure time for the average American. In addition, the economic boom times enabled the formation of an America “aristocracy” that amassed sufficient capital to financially support sports. Further, Sports Journalism became popular as a result of increased communication capabilities due to new technologies which could transfer up to date information. In addition, new technology such as the railroad linked distant communities and allowed the teams from different regions to compete, creating friendly turf competitions. In America’s nineteenth century the economic and societal links tightened by technology permitted widespread interest in sports. (Betts, 39-40)
American Baseball was one of the many sports to benefit from the economic and social changes which created prevalent interest in sports. (Zingg, 396-397) Baseball clubs were organized all over the East and Mid-West in the mid-1800s, but the National League was not formed until 1876 by the president William Hulbert. The increased regional competition after the civil war, as a result of linking communities by rail significantly contributed to the development of baseball in the 1860’s and 1870’s.
In the 1880’s journalism and the beginning of standardization of baseball were important factors in baseball’s increasing popularity. By 1882, the American Baseball Association is created in a reaction against the National League, and the American Association becomes known as the Beer and Whiskey League. The first publication of Spalding’s official base ball guide in 1886 demonstrates the standardization of baseball rules. The expanded newspaper coverage of baseball shows the journalism’s importance to baseball. The nineteenth century was the root of American baseball, but by the 1890’s baseball became the national game, marking a decade of turmoil in baseball history. (Betts, 231-256)
John Montgomery Ward, the star player from the New York Giants, formed the first union for professional baseball players in 1885, naming the union the Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players. By 1887 most of the players in the National League and American Association are members of the union and attempt to seek recognition to bargain for their contracts with the club owners. However, the club owners refuse to compromise on reserve clauses and the salary caps, especially on the controversial pitcher’s salary cap of two thousand dollars. (Sullivan) Hence, the Players’ League is formed on December 16, 1989 by numerous players that are unsatisfied with the National League (NL) and American Association (AA) contracts. (Reiss, 322)
The first season of the Players’ League begins in 1890 with strong financial backing. The contract issues are remedied with profit sharing for the players and long term contracts. The Players’ League includes many former players from AA and NL; however some star players refuse to join the Player’s League. Due to this the Players’ League fails after only one season, which leaves great competition between the NL and AA. “The new National League is formed in 1892, despite the club owner’s positive ideas of the new NL. The turmoil negatively impacts the fan’s views and decreases sales. (Sullivan)”
The decreased popularity of baseball, leads to changes to improve the public image of baseball. In 1894 the “Brush Rules” are established, which fines players one hundred dollars for vulgar language to assist in cleaning up baseballs moral issues. In 1895, stricter regulations are made which does not allow club owners to pay the fines for the players. (Ritter) During the 1890’s sports journalism’s exciting descriptions are considered one of the few reasons that base balls popularity continued through these dark ages. (Betts, 55-56)
By 1900 baseball was thriving again and the foundation of current American baseball was developed. The National League was strong and in 1900 the American League was established by Ban Johnson, a Cincinnati sportswriter. The 1890’s had seen standardization of most of the rules of baseball from the number of strikes and balls to the still customary sixty feet and six inches distance between the pitcher and the batter. The season was extended to one hundred and fifty games and the club owners were more regulated to create an even playing field. Although the beginning of the 1890’s marked a disarray of American Baseball, the disarray was resolved at the end of the decade, with a strong base and great fan support to develop the modern structure of American Baseball.
Work Cited
Betts, John. “Sporting Journalism in the Nineteenth-Century American” American Quarterly 5 (1953) 39-56.
Betts, John. “The Technological Revolution and the Rise of Sport, 1850-1900.” The Mississippi Valley Historical Review 40 (1953) 231-256.
Johnson, Lloyd. Baseball: A Pictorial Tribute. Stamford, CT: Brompton Books, 1995.
Reiss, Steven. “The New Sport History” Reviews in American History. 18 (1990) 311-325.
Ritter, Lawrence S. The Glory of Their Times: the Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men who Played It. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1984.
Sullivan, Dean A. ed. Early Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1825-1908. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.
Zingg, Paul. “Diamond in the Rough: Baseball and the Study of American Sports History.” The History Teacher. 19 (1986) 385-403.
American Baseball transformed greatly in the 1890’s. The results of many of these transformations persist in baseball today. The social and economic conditions of the late nineteenth century shaped the status of American sports of the time, and baseball was no exception. The mid-nineteenth century began the formation of baseball clubs and the standardization of baseball rules. However the turmoil of the 1890’s as a result of competing league structures, team strikes, and player’s moral issues lead to the arrangement of the National and American Leagues and the current rules of modern American Baseball.
The social and political climate of the nineteenth century allowed for the necessary circumstances for the formation of modern American Baseball. The transformation of the United States from a rural society to an urban-industrial society helped create the conditions for the popularization of professional sports. Economic prosperity increased standards of living and created increased leisure time for the average American. In addition, the economic boom times enabled the formation of an America “aristocracy” that amassed sufficient capital to financially support sports. Further, Sports Journalism became popular as a result of increased communication capabilities due to new technologies which could transfer up to date information. In addition, new technology such as the railroad linked distant communities and allowed the teams from different regions to compete, creating friendly turf competitions. In America’s nineteenth century the economic and societal links tightened by technology permitted widespread interest in sports. (Betts, 39-40)
American Baseball was one of the many sports to benefit from the economic and social changes which created prevalent interest in sports. (Zingg, 396-397) Baseball clubs were organized all over the East and Mid-West in the mid-1800s, but the National League was not formed until 1876 by the president William Hulbert. The increased regional competition after the civil war, as a result of linking communities by rail significantly contributed to the development of baseball in the 1860’s and 1870’s.
In the 1880’s journalism and the beginning of standardization of baseball were important factors in baseball’s increasing popularity. By 1882, the American Baseball Association is created in a reaction against the National League, and the American Association becomes known as the Beer and Whiskey League. The first publication of Spalding’s official base ball guide in 1886 demonstrates the standardization of baseball rules. The expanded newspaper coverage of baseball shows the journalism’s importance to baseball. The nineteenth century was the root of American baseball, but by the 1890’s baseball became the national game, marking a decade of turmoil in baseball history. (Betts, 231-256)
John Montgomery Ward, the star player from the New York Giants, formed the first union for professional baseball players in 1885, naming the union the Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players. By 1887 most of the players in the National League and American Association are members of the union and attempt to seek recognition to bargain for their contracts with the club owners. However, the club owners refuse to compromise on reserve clauses and the salary caps, especially on the controversial pitcher’s salary cap of two thousand dollars. (Sullivan) Hence, the Players’ League is formed on December 16, 1989 by numerous players that are unsatisfied with the National League (NL) and American Association (AA) contracts. (Reiss, 322)
The first season of the Players’ League begins in 1890 with strong financial backing. The contract issues are remedied with profit sharing for the players and long term contracts. The Players’ League includes many former players from AA and NL; however some star players refuse to join the Player’s League. Due to this the Players’ League fails after only one season, which leaves great competition between the NL and AA. “The new National League is formed in 1892, despite the club owner’s positive ideas of the new NL. The turmoil negatively impacts the fan’s views and decreases sales. (Sullivan)”
The decreased popularity of baseball, leads to changes to improve the public image of baseball. In 1894 the “Brush Rules” are established, which fines players one hundred dollars for vulgar language to assist in cleaning up baseballs moral issues. In 1895, stricter regulations are made which does not allow club owners to pay the fines for the players. (Ritter) During the 1890’s sports journalism’s exciting descriptions are considered one of the few reasons that base balls popularity continued through these dark ages. (Betts, 55-56)
By 1900 baseball was thriving again and the foundation of current American baseball was developed. The National League was strong and in 1900 the American League was established by Ban Johnson, a Cincinnati sportswriter. The 1890’s had seen standardization of most of the rules of baseball from the number of strikes and balls to the still customary sixty feet and six inches distance between the pitcher and the batter. The season was extended to one hundred and fifty games and the club owners were more regulated to create an even playing field. Although the beginning of the 1890’s marked a disarray of American Baseball, the disarray was resolved at the end of the decade, with a strong base and great fan support to develop the modern structure of American Baseball.
Work Cited
Betts, John. “Sporting Journalism in the Nineteenth-Century American” American Quarterly 5 (1953) 39-56.
Betts, John. “The Technological Revolution and the Rise of Sport, 1850-1900.” The Mississippi Valley Historical Review 40 (1953) 231-256.
Johnson, Lloyd. Baseball: A Pictorial Tribute. Stamford, CT: Brompton Books, 1995.
Reiss, Steven. “The New Sport History” Reviews in American History. 18 (1990) 311-325.
Ritter, Lawrence S. The Glory of Their Times: the Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men who Played It. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1984.
Sullivan, Dean A. ed. Early Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1825-1908. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.
Zingg, Paul. “Diamond in the Rough: Baseball and the Study of American Sports History.” The History Teacher. 19 (1986) 385-403.
posted by Leslie Madsen-Brooks at 9:47 AM
3 Comments:
I always assumed that the American and National leagues were formed at the same time. I had no idea that the foundation of American baseball was formed with such controversy. The impact of the railroad is also really interesting. It's neat to learn that the railroad had such a powerful effect on so many levels.
Baseball has been seen as America's greatest pastime. I found it interesting that players had already begun arguing over their salaries (ironic how similar that is to today's athletes). I wonder why there was so much controversy surrounding the emergence of two different baseball leagues...we can already see the foundation for a competitive atmosphere. I also wonder how the rules differ between the leagues? (Ex. today one of the leagues can have a designated hitter for the pitcher)
Great post on baseball! I really like the sport and found it really interesting how social issues re-invented themselves into baseball. How states took pride in having a team to represent who they were after the civil war. Rather it was a sense of pride, or something else, it fueled into America's greatest past time.
We can still see social and political issues influencing our sports world today. Case in point, the court hearings on 'steroid' use has significantly influenced the sports arena and has changed they way the game is played, and how the public percieves those who play it.
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