Sports: Baseball

Baseball

The sport that evokes more nostalgia among Americans than any other is baseball. So many people play the game as children that it has become known as "the national pastime." The game, as it is known today, evolved from a variety of similar games that have been played for centuries; although it is clear that modern baseball developed in North America, the exact origin of the game is difficult to determine. Today, professional baseball attracts millions of spectators to ballparks each year and entertains millions more through radio and television broadcasts. Professional baseball includes the major leagues and the minor leagues. Amateur baseball includes Little League, high school and university competition, and various community leagues. American soldiers brought baseball to Japan, where it is widely played. Baseball is also popular in Cuba and other Caribbean nations. In the 1996 Olympics, it was a measure of baseball's appeal outside the United States that the contest for the gold medal came down to Japan and Cuba (Cuba won).
Background Publications: • A Portrait of the USA - Exporting Popular Culture • The Cultural Significance of Baseball • USA Today & Baseball Weekly • Atlantic Monthly: Ballpark Memories • Baseballprimer: Baseball for the Thinking Fan • Bibliography of Published Baseball Music and Songs in the Collections of the Music Division at the Library of Congress Teams: • NCAA Baseball Championships - College Baseball • Major League Baseball - Official Site • High School Baseball Web • Little League Online Institutions: • The National Baseball Hall of Fame • The Society for American Baseball Research History: • Baseball Almanac - the "Official" Baseball History Site • Baseball Cards 1887-1914 • This Day in Baseball History • Black Baseball's Negro Baseball Leagues • All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954) • A Graphical History of Baseball • History of the World Series • Small Ball: A Little League Story Other resources: • MLB Scoreboard from ESPN • Baseball America Online • This Great Game • The Baseball Archive • Baseball Glossary • Baseball Heckle Depot • Baseball Think Factory • Ballparks of Baseball - The Fields of Major League Baseball • Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights • Netshrine - Baseball's Best Abridged from US State Department IIP publications and other US government materials.