The Rise of America's National Game

“And you know Steve you get the feeling that Billy Chapel isn't pitching against left handers, he isn't pitching against pinch hitters, he isn't pitching against the Yankees. He's pitching against time. He's pitching against the future, against age, and even when you think about his career, against ending. And tonight I think he might be able to use that aching old arm one more time to push the sun back up in the sky and give us one more day of summer.” –Vin Scully For the Love of the Game

Baseball has become “America’s pastime.” I found chapter four to be very interesting. Baseball went from a bat-and-ball game to “base ball” to a “base ball fraternity.” The change this sport has made is incredible. There is deep history in baseball and I am not talking about the Cubs not winning in 101 years. Who would have thought this backyard pick up game would involve into the sport viewed today? The Knickerbockers proved this game had a great pastime. I feel the amazing part of the story behind the game is how the game, itself, was developed. I was sorry to hear gambling and thrown games became apart of baseball. Then again, the Chicago White Sox thrown World Series does not surprise me. The state of New York and local media did a very nice job of spreading the word about baseball. Most of the credit goes to Henry Chadwick. Also, I was very impressed when the chapter talked about an “all-star” game. The overall setup of game made an easy decision to be called “a Native American Sport.”

One of the more exciting stories to read about was the visit to the White House. Sadly, Cincinnati actually had a really good ball club. At the time, President Ulysses S. Grant had the Cincinnati Red Stockings over to the White House to congratulate them. This success quickly got Chicago into the picture. So here is my appreciation, thank you Cincy!

Another part I liked in the chapter was the post-game dinner for the away team. Now there is the classy characteristic baseball is known for. This part really may not excite any readers but who would actually have thought there was a post-game meal? The parties even included live music and sometimes held a local tavern. Now, how come after my hockey games, I never received a team dinner?

Lastly, I leave my blog readers and Chicago Cubs fans with this…

Dear Milton Bradley,

You say the greatest fans in baseball, Cub fans, are racist? Then, how come Derek Lee, who is African-American, has never complained about us? Last time I checked, D-Lee is having a career year for an underachieving team. Milty, stop with the excuses. You are making $10 million a year.

Natives and Mascots Plus Sports in the Revolutionary America

“If I owned the Twins, I wouldn't even show up here. I'd just hire a bunch of scientists to do my homework. I mean, if you're rich you don't have to be smart. That's the whole beauty of this country”- Little Big Leagues

This week’s class was very interesting. The Native American and Mascot issue is more compelling than people really know. The most interesting talk was from Miami University. The SI article was talking about how alumni were willing to give more money to the school if they changed their name, Redskins. The name was changed and Miami is now known as the Redhawks. Soon after the name change, the school received $25 million in donations from the alumni. The other issue is the Washington Redskins. Native Americans do not appreciate the logo and name the Washington football franchise carries. Native Americans feel the term “Redskin” is cruel and hurtful.

My opinion, Native Americans need to back off this issue. Now, I have nothing against Native American’s and their history, which is probably because I know little about them. In history books, its was saving pilgrims and creating a holiday called “Thanksgiving.” Americans took your land and now taking Native American history right out of the books. Wouldn’t Native Americans be happy some history was kept around in America? Look at the Atlanta Braves for example. This team won 14 straight consecutive division titles. The Native Americans should be proud of the team and support the team has. The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the greatest logos in sports. They even made it to the Western Conference Finals. No respect? I think there is plenty of history representation here, Native American complainers.

The other topic is Sports in Revolutionary America. Ledbetter describes the sports participated during the war. Soldiers had to keep in shape and stay conditioned. Swimming was a big part of this conditioning. Other sports were boxing, fives, and nine-pin. Each sport was popular by the soldiers demand.

I have to say the soldiers playing sports during the war is not a bad idea. I wasn’t so sure why Washington restricted it, especially swimming. I thought swimming was good for the body because it worked all the muscles in the body. Then again, there were times soldiers were shot do to swimming. I think I understand why sports became popular in America. I can see the change in sports is being a change away from the British. Well maybe, it was just a thought.

Special thanks to Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, and Kanye West for their big, glorious moments this past week!

Sports and History-Native Americans and Slaves

“Hey, kid! How'd you like to play for the Chicago Cubs?

Great! But I gotta ask my mom first.”- Rookie of the Year

Last week, we had two online journals about Native Americans and slaves. The Native American journal was about the history behind sport and how Native Americans played sports socially and as a culture. The games played by the natives have evolved into sports still played in the 21^st century. The article mentions how Native Americans have formed all-Native sports. Also, there is a section on Native American athletes who have made it to the professional level, which is something we talked about last week in class.

The other article was about slaves’ entertainment while on their plantations. Usually, slaves had dance parties on Saturday’s as a day to relax and forget about work. Slaves from other plantations would sneak out and go to where the party was located. The article also talks about how slaves went hunting, fishing, boxing, and wrestling. These physical activities help keep them in shape while still being able to have competition amongst others.

After reading each article, I had a question running through my mind about history. How come history books left out detailed information about Native Americans and slaves? Throughout all my history classes, a lesson on Native Americans and/or slaves seems short each time. There is a certain amount of information given and that is it. For example, I learned only about slaves as workers for white slave owners. They made dinner and did chores. For Native Americans, I learned about them through Thanksgiving and how they saved European settlers. However, I recently learned about slaves having Saturday night dance parties. Native Americans playing their own organized sports, which are still played today. I even learned about the famous athletes who have a Native Americans background. To me, that’s the history I want to learn about. These articles are the missing information left out of the history books. I actually feel like I know more about Native American and slaves then I did beforehand.