The Role of Baseball and Boxing in Shaping American Identity

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Sports

Document 1

The seriousness of this game is that nothing could stop its league. Wars,depression,players strike or the great idea that the great stadia would be empty during the summer season were not issues that could stop the league. The baseball league could only be stopped by itself. The thesis of this research work is to show how baseball and boxing shaped the American identity. Jacques Barzun said Baseball at one time did a unification in America ,this was because of the team work involved, he says that when you look on a large scale at the American triumph of technology you will see the fine workings of machinery he describes how everyone in their departments effectively cooperated having no gaps in time.

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It has served America at its best and also at its worst. Mid-19th century from its roots baseball as a whole it represented the hegemony of the nation, as the ball continued to grow so as the country. It is also in this century where the ball underwent its radical metamorphosis also as the nation underwent a transformation of progressive era The growing population of baseball and boxing was influenced by the radical shift in American society that accompanied the rise of progressive era in the late 19th and 20th centrury. The baseball game showcased aspects of the game to the society. Baseball with the dramatic changes brought about by the progressive era saw also its changes. (Nick Trujillo, 291) As America was transforming to its Agrarian origin into nation that is urbanized to large industry so baseball certain popularity and growth before the progressive era represents this shift in Ideology in America.

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By celebrating the individual baseball championed the former, pitting the lone batter and opposing the pitcher with supporting casts of defensive fielder. Baseball represented the growing industrialization which came to dominate the country through the civil war. During the progressive era and the Gilded age a driving force of industrialization behind the American identity, there was also penalization of development in the game of baseball. (Daniel and Sheinin,62) Baseball and boxing had a team mentality that championed the Americans industry. As it grew the Laisaez-faire which dominated the culture in the late 19th century and it made rules and regulations to be followed. Baseball like the surrounding also had rules and regulations. Baseball game and boxing if were standardized they could grow both in popularity and competivenenes.

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Baseball popularity was so high such that other games such as boxing, football and horse racing existed only in the peripherals in the society and they could not come near baseball. The more the country grew the more baseball game grew. The aim of playing baseball also reflected progressive society. The benefits that came together with baseball were many and indeed they shaped the identity of the Americans. (Daniel and Sheinin, 68) Conclusion The identity of the American was highly shaped by the sport baseball. A game the initially started as a game for the social elites. Both Boxing and Baseball grew and shaped the identity of America, they represented the glorious elements of America and purity that Society admired. Like America changes also the game had to evolve and transform.

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