Importance of Baseball to New York - Essay Example

Importance of Baseball to New York of the Importance of Baseball to New York One of the sports that have the longest history in New York City is baseball. This is still evident from the numerous ballparks in the city and the Polo Grounds in almost every area. However, some historians are worried that this history, which is part of an important US history, is being forgotten. In order to contribute to its commemoration and explanation, a presentation of the history of baseball in New York and its importance to Americans is important.

In the 1950s, three major teams existed. These included the Yankees, the Dodgers and the New York Giants. The age when these teams existed and played is mostly referred as the Golden Age especially because the three different teams had their loyal fans that liked to watch them compete. However, this was only witnessed in New York and not the rest of the cities, which were characterized by decaying inner cities and aging ballparks. Other cities also lacked a competitive balance that was witnessed in New York (Wetherbee, n.d).The period after the war, however, brought with it some new changes that would change the New York baseball history.

By this time, America was transitioning into a modern society and many teams had the chance to move to prosperous heights. Some teams moved to other areas and managed to gather fans. Some of them moved to Idaho while others moved to Milwaukee, Kansas City ad Baltimore among other major areas. This was to move to higher heights, which led to the two of the major leagues moving to California. The Dodgers and the Giants thought that California had better chances, which made them disappoint millions of fans in New York.

With one move, the city was drained from its major league representation, which eventually led to the weakening of the championship baseball in this major city. Some of the major players in this period include Mickey Mantle, Jack Roosevelt Robinson and Branch Rickey. As mentioned earlier, baseball represents a huge part of America history. It provided Americans with a sense of togetherness and community, which was non-existent in the corporate world. It was also a source of pride and power for the Americans mostly because of the passion that came with sharing of the game’s experiences among Americans.

By this time, the game was universal to all Americans and everyone seemed to know something about the game and the players. The three teams mentioned earlier owned the game (Barbieri, 2013).Before the 1950’s, baseball was part of middle class whites, which would later be challenged by baseball. Jackie Robinson, a black player was integrated in one of the three major teams. This not only became a huge debate, but also brought New York City and other major baseball cities in the forefront in terms of race and ethnic discourses.

There were worries that the present racism would lead to a downfall of the largely loved game. However, Jackie Robinson, who later came to be loved by whites and blacks at the same time while being hated by others helped in uniting the two main different communities (Barbieri, 2013). ReferencesWetherbee, L. (n.d). New York City professional baseball ad the 1950’s an era for America. Retrieved on June 20, 2015 from: http://wrt-intertext.syr.edu/iv/marks.htmlBarbieri, R. (2013). “The hidden baseball history of New York City.

” The Hand Ball Times. Retrieved on June 20, 2015 from: http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-hidden-baseball-history-of-new-york-city/