Society

In the past, society has placed its baseball players on a pedestal, but as society evolved, unfavorable actions of the players caused society to view the players more harshly, lowering them from their pedestal.
             Shrouded in mystery, the origins of baseball are unclear. As early as 1839, men were seen playing on a field with bases, hitting a round ball with a stick. The game of baseball is well documented in the Civil War. Soldiers can be seen playing baseball in photos taken during the Civil War (22). The institution of baseball has survived a split of a nation, two world wars, a great depression, and a racial equality revolution. Over 150 years old, baseball has become one of the few constants in this nation. Presidents have changed, political parties have crumbled, but baseball has remained strong and running throughout the years. Baseball has been endeared by generations of families and the millions and millions of people who go to a ball game, watch it on the television or listen to it on the radio. Children, who are now adults, grew up playing baseball and listening to stories of the "Great DiMaggio" or how their grandfather saw Ted Williams play or how he used to watch Walter "Big Train" Johnson pitch when he was a child. The game ties modern generations to the generations of yesteryear. Baseball stretches from coast to coast, sea to shining sea. It is referred to as the National Pastime. In the summertime, there is no place better to go than to the bleachers of the local ball club and, "root, root, root," for your home team. Thirty-one cities across North America have the honor and privilege to claim host to a professional baseball team. The teams" invoke a sense of civic pride in the citizens of the community. But baseball does have its detractors. Some people say that it is too slow and too boring to watch. The game is too outdated to hold anybody's interest. Bad calls and lack of replay detract from the perfection of the game.