The Declaration of Independence was signed July 4, 1776. On this day 240 years ago the Continental Congress declared their independence from British rule. Happy birthday USA!
According to Wikipedia, the first professional baseball team was founded in America in Cincinnati in 1869. So, for more more than half of our country's lifetime baseball has been America's pastime.
Let's put that into a little perspective.
In 1869:
The Cincinnati Red Stockings became baseball's first professional team with 10 salaried players.
Also in 1869:
-Ulysses S. Grant was elected president of the United States.
-There were only 37 stars on the American Flag as Colorado was still 7 years away from becoming the 38th state.
-Jesse James committed his first confirmed bank robbery.
-The 19th Amendment, allowing women in the US full voting rights, was still over 50 years from being ratified.
-The Ottoman Empire would not be dissolved for another 53 years.
-World War I was still 45 years away.
-The first gasoline powered automobile was still 17 years away.
-The average American life expectancy was somewhere around 37 years.
-Wilbur Wright was two years old, his brother Orville would not be born for another two years and the brothers wouldn't make their famous flight at Kitty Hawk, NC for another 34 years.
-The 13th amendment, abolishing slavery, had been ratified just four years prior.
-Thomas Edison wouldn't file hit patent for his incandescent light bulb for another 10 years.
Essentially, most of the things we take for granted as common parts of our lives didn't exist with the exception of professional baseball. When put in perspective it is truly mind-blowing that you can turn on a TV and watch a game that was started when the most common mode of land transportation was horseback or a brisk walk.
Baseball diamonds have been a place to watch American history for over 100 years. Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and many others served World War II. And countless other players have served in the military throughout history. One of those players was Jackie Robinson, who is widely credited for breaking the color barrier in American sports. Which was a monumental moment in American history as racial equality is something that our society struggles with still today.
Baseball players were the first "superstars" from the world of professional sports. Every TV commercial, and movie cameo any current athlete has an opportunity to do can be traced back to baseball. Baseball was the first sport where the players played their sport as their only means of financial income without having to have a profession in the off season. Any multi-million dollar contract that is signed by a modern athlete can be traced back to baseball.
There are more important things in life than sports but it is hard to look around the history of the US over the last 150 years and not see baseball as a microcosm of American culture. The game has changed very little over it's lifetime with wooden bats and leather gloves. But, the advancements and growth of American culture can be seen in every pitch thrown and every ball hit since 1869.
Baseball is inclusive. If you can play, you can play. Where you started in life, poor, rich, Black, White, Asian, is of no importance. If you can bring something of value to the league, you'll have a chance to do just that. And what could be more of the American ideal than that?
Happy 240th birthday America, here's to another 240 great years!
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