The Rise of America’s National Game

19th Century Baseball

Three Stages:

1. Bat-and-ball games played by boys

2. The club-based (fraternal game)

3. Commercial Spectator Sport

National League was formed in 1876- Baseball became a business.

1845- New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club was formed. Influenced by Alexander Cartwright.

Knickerbocker- Descendants from Dutch settlers who wore funny looking pants.

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.

Competitions

Winning team received the game ball Outcome inscribed on the ball and put in the

club’s trophy case.

Home club frequently provided the visitors with a gala dinner.

Henry Chadwick

Known as father Chadwick Edited baseball’s first annual guidebook Invented the box score and batting averages

America’s National Pastime

Mid-1850s was being called “the national game”

Baseball Club Names: Young America, Union, Eagle, American and National.

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.

Beginning of Professional base ball playing

William H. Cammeyer, built a fence around some land that he owned and charged admission to spectators.

Teams:1. Played more games2. Practice more3. Hand long summer tours4. Recruited athletes (Some even got paid)

“Cranks” or Kranks

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

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.

Cincinnati Red Stocking

Nation’s first publicly announced, all-salaried team.

1869- Record was 58-0-1

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.

The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (1871-1875) was baseball’s first professional league.

This league was not very professional.1. $10.00 entry fee to compete for championship2. Teams scheduled own matches3. Players free to move from one team to the next

after each season

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.

Seeking approval from Victorians

Clubs wishing to join the league:

1. Be approved by existing clubs

2. Ban Sunday games

3. Prohibit liquor sales in ball parks

4. Charge 50 cents admission fee