棒球是美国最具普遍性的体育项目之一美国棒球baseball

棒球是美国最具普遍性的体育项目之一，被称作美国的“国球”。棒球属于观看项目，由运动员比赛，所以棒球运动员、特别是职业棒球运动员在美国人的平常生活中扮演着十分重要的角色。职业队员的平均年工资约为18万美元。1981年夏季发生了一次席卷全美的棒球运动员大罢工，使赛场附近的酒吧和饭馆大大亏本，有些俱乐部业主在罢工的第一个周末就损失了25万美元。可见棒球运动在美国影响之大；在美国就连杰克逊的歌词里也这样唱道“爸爸我们一起去打棒球去”。目前，美国约有l000万人打棒球，职业棒球运动员有3000多人，青少年棒球队有8.5万多人。棒球运动场星罗棋布，其中最大的俄亥俄州克利夫兰市体育运动场能容纳近7.7万名观众。老美喜欢棒球、橄榄球就像中国人喜欢兵乓球、足球同样，没有任何理由。虽然这两项运动在中国并不时兴，但是来到这边之后，不经意间它们就渗透进了我的生活。学校放学后学生们玩的是棒球，周末电视上整天整天播放的是NFL……所以，耳濡目染，有时候我们也跟着从心底迸发出了某种激情。棒球比赛一共有九局，一般在第七局的时候主场球队会请知名人士来唱歌，这也成为球赛的看点之一。以前一般都是唱《Takemeouttotheballgame》，但是自从911事件发生后，就改唱《GodBlessAmerica》这首歌。每当这个时候，全体观众起立，不管种族、不管肤色、不管文化，一起引吭高歌，共同呼吁人类和平，保护他们的家园，场面非常壮观。GodBlessAmerica

GodBlessAmerica,

LandthatIlove.

Standbesideher,andguideher

Thruthenightwithalightfromabove.

Fromthemountains,totheprairies,

Totheoceans,whitewithfoam

GodblessAmerica,Myhomesweethome.美国人对棒球可谓情有独钟，他们不仅爱打，爱看，还热衷为棒球作歌。美国青少年一般都会唱五六首以棒球为主题的歌曲。

在美国人心目中，棒球不仅是一项体育运动，并且是一种全国性的崇高娱乐。每年春夏两季，全国至少有5000万人亲临球场观看比赛，从电视、广播里收看、收听比赛转播的人就更多了。事实上，棒球的影响已在美国形成了独特的“棒球文化”。

据美国棒球史专家沃那·佛尔森介绍，时下以棒球为主题的歌曲已超过了1000首，其中最流行的首推“带我去球场”。这是192023诞生的作品，当时诗人杰克·诺斯在乘坐纽约地铁时看到一幅棒球招贴画，灵感突来，就写了这首歌。这首歌虽已有近百年的历史，但美国人至今仍在唱。特别在棒球比赛结束时，观众便在一个特定的时候，一起站起来活动腿脚，并高唱“带我去球场”。

为棒球球星谱写的歌曲也比比皆是，其中最有名的首推“挥棒击球的迪马森奥”。迪马森奥是美国人公认的最伟大的棒球明星，曾为纽约扬基队连续56场击出了安打，此纪录保持至今仍未被打破。

（若水）美国总统必修课——棒球政治学增长曝光率奥巴马担任MLB全明星赛开球嘉宾在美国，橄榄球、棒球、篮球和冰球被誉为四大运动，而棒球又是其中当之无愧的国球。从192023威廉·塔夫特成为第一位为棒球赛开球的总统以来，几乎每一位美国总统都会遵循这一传统。时至今日，球传到奥巴马手中，已有近百年历史。从国家联盟于1876年宣告成立，职业棒球在美国早已走过百年历程，美国总统与民众能始终对其保持一种热爱与激情，也足见这项运动所拥有的巨大魅力。随便一提的是，国内对NBA的报道比较多，所以大多认为篮球才是美国最热门的运动，其实光以现场观众总数论，棒球还是美国的第一运动。

在美国，棒球被叫做“国家娱乐”，就跟咱们把乒乓球列为国技是差不多的意思。按理说棒球这运动对器械和场地的规定比较高，普及起来并不容易，可美国人有时候对越复杂的东西就越感爱好。历史也是个很重要的因素，棒球在美国的走红比篮球要早得多。早在还没有NBA的时代，巴比·鲁思就已经红得一塌糊涂，据说美国人和日本人在太平洋的小岛上打仗那会儿，后者在拉手榴弹跟美国兵同归于尽之前，都会大喊一声“跟鲁思一起见鬼去吧”——在他们看来，这就是对美国人最大的欺侮。AnearlybaseballplayerfromAPrettyLittlePocket-Book,publishedin1760HowBaseballBegan

Nooneisexactlysurehowbaseballbegan,butitseemstohaveitsrootsintheEnglishgamecalled"rounders"or"four-old-cat."Thispicturewaspublishedinachildren'smagazinewiththetitle"Base-ball"in1760andshowsplayersstandingatbases;oneholdingaball.Roundershadmanyofthesamefeaturesasbaseballhastoday.Theonemajordifferencewasthatinroundersthefielderputthebatteroutbyhittinghimwiththeball.Whydoyouthinktheychangedthatfeatureofthegame?UnionprisonersatSalisbury,HowBaseballBegan

WhenagroupinNewYorkCitygottogetherin1845toregulatetherulesofbaseball,theydecidedthattogetabaserunnerout,anopposingplayerneedonlytaghimwiththeballinsteadofhittinghimwithit.Fromthenon,baseballwasplayedusingahardball,andsoonthegamebegantobeplayedonamuchlargerscale.Baseballbecameanorganizedsportinthe1840sand1850s.PeopleevenplayeditduringtheCivilWar.InthisprintyoucanseeUnionsoldiersplayingabaseballgameinaConfederateprisoner-of-warcampinNorthCarolina.Doyouknowwherethefirstbaseballteamswereestablished?TheBrooklynAtlantics,theChampionsofAmerica,1865HowBaseballBegan

ManyearlybaseballteamswereformedinNewYorkCityandBrooklyn.By1860,baseballhadreplacedtheBritishgameofcricketasAmerica'smostpopulargame.Atthistime,baseballwasanamateursport,whichmeantthatplayerswerenotpaidtoplay.TheBrooklynAtlanticsweretheleadingteaminearlybaseball,winningchampionshipsin1861,1864,and1865.Theysentthiscardtoteamstheywereabouttoplaytolettheiropponentsknowtheyweregoingupagainstthechampions.AlthoughthereweremanyteamsinNewYork,wheredoyouthinkthefirstprofessionalteamcamefrom?

FirstNineoftheCincinnati(RedStockings)BaseBallClub,1869Thefirstall-professionalbaseballteamwastheCincinnatiRedStockings.Itwasconsideredaboldmovetodecidetoopenlypayplayerstoplaybaseball,anditcanbecreditedtoClubPresidentAaronB.Champion,whocameupwiththeidea.In1869,theReds'player-managerHarryWright,knownasthe"FatherofProfessionalBaseball,"andhisteamtouredthecountryandwon60gameswithoutasingleloss.AlthoughtheNationalAssociationdidn'twanttosupporttheprofessionalbaseballmovement,theywereoverruled.MajorLeaguebaseballinAmericahadbegun.

最佳答案Baseballisabat-and-ballsportplayedbetweentwoteamsofnineplayerseach.Thegoalistoscorerunsbyhittingathrownballwithabatandtouchingaseriesoffourbasesarrangedatthecornersofaninety-footsquare,ordiamond.Playersononeteam(thebattingteam)taketurnshittingagainstthepitcheroftheotherteam(thefieldingteam),whichtriestostopthemfromscoringrunsbygettinghittersoutinanyofseveralways.Aplayeronthebattingteamcanstopatanyofthebasesandlateradvanceviaateammate'shitorothermeans.Theteamsswitchbetweenbattingandfieldingwheneverthefieldingteamrecordsthreeouts.Oneturnatbatforeachteamconstitutesaninning;nineinningsmakeupaprofessionalgame.Theteamwiththemostrunsattheendofthegamewins.Evolvingfromolderbat-and-ballgames,anearlyformofbaseballwasbeingplayedinEnglandbythemid-eighteenthcentury.ThisgameandtherelatedrounderswerebroughtbyBritishandIrishimmigrantstoNorthAmerica,wherethemodernversionofbaseballdeveloped.Bythelatenineteenthcentury,baseballwaswidelyrecognizedasthenationalsportoftheUnitedStates.Baseballontheprofessional,amateur,andyouthlevelsisnowpopularinNorthAmerica,partsofCentralandSouthAmericaandtheCaribbean,andpartsofEastAsia.Thegameissometimesreferredtoashardball,incontrasttothederivativegameofsoftball.InNorthAmerica,professionalMajorLeagueBaseball(MLB)teamsaredividedintotheNationalLeague(NL)andAmericanLeague(AL).Eachleaguehasthreedivisions:East,West,andCentral.Everyyear,thechampionofMajorLeagueBaseballisdeterminedbyplayoffsthatculminateintheWorldSeries.Fourteamsmaketheplayoffsfromeachleague:thethreeregularseasondivisionwinners,plusonewildcardteam.PopularityandculturalimpactWritingin1919,philosopher\o"MorrisRaphaelCohen"MorrisRaphaelCohendescribedbaseballasAmerica'snationalreligion.[140]Inthewordsofsportscolumnist\o"JaysonStark"JaysonStark,baseballhaslongbeen"auniqueparagonofAmericanculture"—astatusheseesasdevastatedbythesteroidabusescandal.[141]Baseballhasanimportantplaceinothernationalculturesaswell:ScholarPeterBjarkmandescribes"howdeeplythesportisingrainedinthehistoryandcultureofanationsuchasCuba,[and]howthoroughlyitwasradicallyreshapedandnativizedinJapan."[142]Sincetheearly1980s,theDominicanRepublic,inparticularthecityof\o"SanPedrodeMacorís"SanPedrodeMacorís,hasbeenthemajorleagues'primarysourceofforeigntalent.[143]BoththelocalwinterleagueandmajorleagueballarecloselyfollowedinPuertoRico;majorleagueHall-of-Famer\o"RobertoClemente"RobertoClementeremainsoneofthegreatestnationalheroesintheisland'shistory.[144]IntheWesternHemisphere,baseballisalsooneoftheleadingsportsinCanada,\o"Colombia"Colombia,Mexico,the\o"NetherlandsAntilles"NetherlandsAntilles,\o"Nicaragua"Nicaragua,\o"Panama"Panama,andVenezuela.InAsia,itisamongthemostpopularsportsinSouthKoreaandTaiwan.ThemajorleaguegameintheUnitedStateswasoriginallytargetedtowardamiddle-class,white-collaraudience:relativetootherspectatorpastimes,theNationalLeague'ssetticketpriceof50centsin1876washigh,whilethelocationofplayingfieldsoutsidetheinnercityandtheworkweekdaytimeschedulingofgameswerealsoobstaclestoablue-collaraudience.[145]Acenturylater,thesituationwasverydifferent.Withtheriseinpopularityofotherteamsportswithmuchhigheraverageticketprices—football,basketball,andhockey—professionalbaseballhadbecomeamongthemostblue-collar-orientedofleadingAmericanspectatorsports.[146]Inrecentyears,baseball'spositioncomparedtofootballintheUnitedStateshasmovedincontradictorydirections.In2023,MajorLeagueBaseballsetarevenuerecordof$6.5

billion,matchingtheNFL'srevenueforthefirsttimeindecades.[147]Ontheotherhand,thepercentageofAmericansportsfanspolledwhonamedbaseballastheirfavoritesportwas16%,comparedtoprofootballat31%;in1985,therespectivefigureswereprofootball24%,baseball23%.[148]Becausetherearesomanymoremajorleaguebaseballgamesplayed,thereisnocomparisoninoverallattendance.In2023,totalattendanceatmajorleaguegameswasthesecond-highestinhistory:78.6million,0.7%offtherecordsetthepreviousyear.[61]Attendanceatgamesheldunderthe\o"MinorLeagueBaseball"MinorLeagueBaseballumbrellaalsosetarecordin2023,with42.8million;[62]thisfiguredoesnotincludeattendanceatgamesoftheseveralindependentminorleagues.\o"Enlarge"TwoplayersonthebaseballteamofTokyo,Japan's\o"WasedaUniversity"WasedaUniversityin1921InJapan,wherebaseballisinarguablytheleadingspectatorteamsport,combinedrevenueforthetwelveteamsin\o"NipponProfessionalBaseball"NipponProfessionalBaseball(NPB),thebodythatoverseesboththeCentralandPacificleagues,wasestimatedat$1

billionin2023.TotalNPBattendancefortheyearwasapproximately20million.Whileintheprecedingtwodecades,MLBattendancegrewby50percentandrevenuenearlytripled,thecomparableNPBfigureswerestagnant.ThereareconcernsthatMLB'sgrowinginterestinacquiringstarJapaneseplayerswillhurtthegameintheirhomecountry.[69]InCuba,wherebaseballisbyeveryreckoningthenationalsport,[149]thenationalteamovershadowsthecityandprovincialteamsthatplayinthetop-leveldomesticleagues.[150]Revenuefiguresarenotreleasedforthecountry'samateursystem;similarly,accordingtooneofficialpronouncement,thesport'sgoverningauthority"hasnevertakenintoaccountattendance...becauseitsgreatestinteresthasalwaysbeenthedevelopmentofathletes".[151]Asof2023,LittleLeagueBaseballoverseesmorethan7,000children'sbaseballleagueswithmorethan2.2millionparticipants—2.1millionintheUnitedStatesand123,000inothercountries.[152]BabeRuthLeagueteamshaveover1millionparticipants.[153]AccordingtothepresidentoftheInternationalBaseballFederation,between300,000and500,000womenandgirlsplaybaseballaroundtheworld,includingLittleLeagueandtheintroductorygameof\o"TeeBall"TeeBall.[154]Avarsitybaseballteamisanestablishedpartof\o"Physicaleducation"physicaleducationdepartmentsatmosthighschoolsandcollegesintheUnitedStates.In2023,nearlyhalfamillionhighschoolersandover35,000collegiansplayedontheirschools'baseballteams.[152]ThenumberofAmericansparticipatinginbaseballhasdeclinedsincethelate1980s,fallingwellbehindthenumberofsoccerparticipants.[155]Byearlyinthe20thcentury,intercollegiatebaseballwasJapan'sleadingsport.Today,\o"HighschoolbaseballinJapan"highschoolbaseballinparticularisimmenselypopularthere.[156]Thefinalroundsofthetwoannualtournaments—the\o"NationalHighSchoolBaseballInvitationalTournament"NationalHighSchoolBaseballInvitationalTournamentinthespring,andtheevenmoreimportant\o"NationalHighSchoolBaseballChampionship"NationalHighSchoolBaseballChampionshipinthesummer—arebroadcastaroundthecountry.Thetournamentsareknown,respectively,asSpringKoshienandSummerKoshienafterthe\o"KoshienStadium"55,000-capacitystadiumwheretheyareplayed.[157]InCuba,baseballisamandatorypartofthestatesystemofphysicaleducation,whichbeginsatagesix.Talentedchildrenasyoungassevenaresenttospecialdistrictschoolsformoreintensivetraining—thefirststeponaladderwhoseacmeisthenationalbaseballteam.[150]BaseballinpopularcultureBaseballhashadabroadimpactonpopularculture,bothintheUnitedStatesandelsewhere.Dozensof\o"Englishlanguageidiomsderivedfrombaseball"English-languageidiomshavebeenderivedfrombaseball;ThefirstnetworkedradiobroadcastsinNorthAmericawereofthe\o"1922WorldSeries"1922WorldSeries:famedsportswriter\o"GrantlandRice"GrantlandRiceannounced\o"Play-by-play"play-by-playfromNewYorkCity's\o"PoloGrounds"PoloGroundson\o"WABC(AM)"WJZ–\o"Newark,NewJersey"Newark,NewJersey,whichwasconnectedbywireto\o"WGY"WGY–\o"Schenectady,NewYork"Schenectady,NewYork,and\o"WBZ(AM)"WBZ–\o"Springfield,Massachusetts"Springfield,Massachusetts.[158]The\o"Baseballcap"baseballcaphasbecomeaubiquitousfashionitemnotonlyintheUnitedStatesandJapan,butalsoincountrieswherethesportitselfisnotparticularlypopular,suchastheUnitedKingdom.[159]\o"Enlarge"The\o"AmericanTobaccoCompany"AmericanTobaccoCompany'slineofbaseballcardsfeaturedshortstop\o"HonusWagner"HonusWagnerofthe\o"PittsburghPirates"PittsburghPiratesfrom1909to1911.In2023,\o"T206HonusWagner"thecardshownheresoldfor$2.8

million.[160]Baseballhasinspiredmanyworksofartandentertainment.Oneofthefirstmajorexamples,\o"ErnestThayer"ErnestThayer'spoem"\o"CaseyattheBat"CaseyattheBat",appearedin1888.Awrydescriptionofthefailureofastarplayerinwhatwouldnowbecalleda"clutchsituation",thepoembecamethesourceof\o"Vaudeville"vaudevilleandotherstagedperformances,audiorecordings,filmadaptations,andanopera,aswellasahostofsequelsandparodiesinvariousmedia.Therehavebeenmany\o"Listofsportsfilms"baseballmovies,includingthe\o"AcademyAward"AcademyAward–winning\o"ThePrideoftheYankees"ThePrideoftheYankees(1942)andtheOscarnominees\o"TheNatural(film)"TheNatural(1984)and\o"FieldofDreams"FieldofDreams(1989).The\o"AmericanFilmInstitute"AmericanFilmInstitute'sselectionofthetenbestsportsmoviesincludesThePrideoftheYankeesatnumber3and\o"BullDurham"BullDurham(1988)atnumber5.[161]Baseballhasprovidedthematicmaterialforhitsonbothstage—the\o"RichardAdler"Adler–\o"JerryRoss(composer)"Rossmusical\o"DamnYankees"DamnYankees—andrecord—\o"GeorgeJ.Gaskin"GeorgeJ.Gaskin's"Slide,Kelly,Slide",\o"SimonandGarfunkel"SimonandGarfunkel's"\o"Mrs.Robinson"Mrs.Robinson",and\o"JohnFogerty"JohnFogerty's\o"Centerfield"Centerfield.[162]Thebaseball-foundedcomedicsketch"\o"Who'sonFirst"Who'sonFirst",introducedby\o"AbbottandCostello"AbbottandCostelloin1938,quicklybecamefamous.Sixdecadeslater,\o"Time(magazine)"Timenameditthebestcomedyroutineofthetwentiethcentury.[163]Thegame'srichliterarytraditionincludestheshortfictionof\o"RingLardner"RingLardnerandnovelssuchas\o"BernardMalamud"BernardMalamud's\o"TheNatural"TheNatural(thesourceforthemovie),\o"RobertCoover"RobertCoover's\o"TheUniversalBaseballAssociation,Inc.,J.HenryWaugh,Prop."TheUniversalBaseballAssociation,Inc.,J.HenryWaugh,Prop.,and\o"W.P.Kinsella"W.P.Kinsella's\o"ShoelessJoe(novel)"ShoelessJoe(thesourceforFieldofDreams).Baseball'sliterarycanonalsoincludesthebeatreportageof\o"DamonRunyon"DamonRunyon;thecolumnsofGrantlandRice,\o"RedSmith(sportswriter)"RedSmith,\o"DickYoung(sportswriter)"DickYoung,and\o"PeterGammons"PeterGammons;andtheessaysof\o"RogerAngell"RogerAngell.Amongthecelebratednonfictionbooksinthefieldare\o"LawrenceS.Ritter"LawrenceS.Ritter's\o"TheGloryofTheirTimes"TheGloryofTheirTimes,\o"RogerKahn"RogerKahn's\o"TheBoysofSummer(book)"TheBoysofSummer,and\o"MichaelLewis(author)"MichaelLewis's\o"Moneyball"Moneyball.The1970publicationofmajorleaguepitcher\o"JimBouton"JimBouton'stell-allchronicle\o"BallFour"BallFourisconsideredaturningpointinthereportingofprofessionalsports.[164]Baseballhasalsoinspiredthecreationofnewculturalforms.\o"Baseballcard"Baseballcardswereintroducedinthelatenineteenthcenturyas\o"Tradecard"tradecards;atypicalexamplewouldfeatureanimageofabaseballplayerononesideandadvertisingforabusinessontheother.Intheearly1900stheywereproducedwidelyaspromotionalitemsbytobaccoandconfectionarycompanies.The1930ssawthepopularizationofthemodernstyleofbaseballcard,withaplayerphotographaccompaniedontherearbystatisticsandbiographicaldata.Baseballcards—manyofwhicharenowprizedcollectibles—arethesourceofthemuchbroader\o"Tradingcard"tradingcardindustry,involvingsimilarproductsfordifferentsportsandnon-sports-relatedfields.[165]Modern\o"Fantasysports"fantasysportsbeganin1980withtheinventionof\o"Fantasybaseball"RotisserieLeagueBaseballbyNewYorkwriter\o"DanielOkrent"DanielOkrentandseveralfriends.ParticipantsinaRotisserieleaguedraftnotionalteamsfromthelistofactiveMajorLeagueBaseballplayersandplayoutanentireimaginaryseasonwithgameoutcomesbasedontheplayers'latestreal-worldstatistics.Rotisserie-styleplayquicklybecameaphenomenon.Nowknownmoregenericallyas\o"Fantasybaseball"fantasybaseball,ithasinspiredsimilargamesbasedonanarrayofdifferentsports.[166]ThefieldboomedwithincreasingInternetaccessandnewfantasysports–relatedwebsites;by2023,29.9millionpeopleintheUnitedStatesandCanadawereplayingfantasysports,spending$800

milliononthehobby.[167]Theburgeoningpopularityoffantasybaseballisalsocreditedwiththeincreasingattentionpaidtosabermetrics—firstamongfans,onlylateramongbaseballprofessionalsByJillMossBroadcast:August9,2023(THEME)VOICEONE:WelcometoTHISISAMERICA,inVOASpecialEnglish.I'mSteveEmber.VOICETWO:AndI'mGwenOuten.Thisweekonourprogram--baseballandAmericanculture.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:ThegameistraditionallyknownasAmerica'snationalpastime.Themenwhoplayitprofessionallyare"theboysofsummer."BaseballisconsideredpartoftheAmericanspirit.Books,songs,movies,plays,poemsandlotsofbaseballtermshavebecomepartoftheAmericanexperience.Anexhibitcalled"BaseballasAmerica"iscurrentlyonshowattheNationalMuseumofNaturalHistoryinWashington,D.C.Itcontainsmorethanfive-hundredhistoricalitems.MostcomefromtheNationalBaseballHallofFameandMuseumin这场比赛是传统上被称为美国的国家消遣。男人谁发挥它的专业是“夏天的男孩。”棒球被视为美国精神的一部分。图书，歌曲，电影，戏剧，诗歌和大量的棒球术语，已成为美国的经验的一部分。

所谓的“棒球作为美国的一个展览”展出的是目前在华盛顿自然历史博物馆，直流它包含超过5100历史的项目。大部分来自国家棒球名人堂和库珀斯敦，纽约博物馆。许多人认为，棒球初次在这1839年的小镇开始。VOICETWO:Innineteen-oh-five,acommitteewasappointedtostudythehistoryofbaseball.ItwascalledtheMillsCommission.Threeyearslater,theMillsCommissionreporteditsfindings.ThereportdeclaredthataCivilWarheronamedAbnerDoubledayinventedbaseballinCooperstown.EvidencecollectedbythecommissionshowedthatDoubledaymodernizedwhatstartedasagameofcatchwithasmanyasfiftyplayers.Theevidenceshowedthathereducedthenumberofplayers,addedbasesandcreatedaplayingareaintheshapeofadiamond.Nooneknowsforsureexactlyhowbaseballbegan.ButacopyofthecommissionreportcanbeseenintheexhibitattheNaturalHistoryMuseum.SocanoneofthefirstbaseballsusedbyAbnerDoubleday.TheballwasfoundinafarmhousenearCooperstowninnineteen-thirty-four.在19-哦-5，被任命了一个委员会，研究了棒球的历史。这就是所谓的米尔斯委员会。三年后，米尔斯委员会报告其调查结果。该报告宣称，一个名为内战英雄押尼珥道布尔迪发明库珀斯敦棒球。

委员会收集的证据表白，道布尔迪作为一个现代化的东西赶上多达五十选手比赛开始。证据显示，他的球员数量减少了，加上基地和发明的钻石形状游乐区。

没有人确切地知道如何开始棒球肯定。但该委员会的报告副本可出现在参展的自然史博物馆。因此，可以由使用的第一道布尔迪押尼珥棒球之一。球被发现在附近库珀斯敦在1934年农舍。(MUSIC)VOICEONE:OrganizedprofessionalbaseballstartedwiththeNationalLeague.Teamsformedthisleagueineighteen-seventy-six.BaseballwassupposedtostandforAmericanbeliefslikeequalityandthechancetosucceed.Butthesportwasrepresentativeofsocietyatthetime.TheNationalLeaguewasforwhiteplayersonly.Byeighteen-eighty-eight,morethansixtyblackplayerswereonminorleagueteams.BarredfromtheNationalLeague,blackplayersjoinedwhatwerecalledtheNegroLeagues.Teamsbegantoappearinblackcommunitiesthroughoutthecountry.举办职业棒球开始与全国联赛。成立这个团队在1876年联赛冠军。

棒球本来是站在像平等和成功机会的美国信念。但是，体育是社会的代表在时间。全国联盟是唯一的白人球员。

到1888年，超过60黑人球员在小联盟队。来自全国联盟棒，黑人球员加入了什么是所谓的黑人联盟。队开始在黑人社区出现在全国各地。VOICETWO:TheunofficialbanagainstblackplayersintheNationalLeaguelastedseventyyears.

WorldWarTwoandthecivilrightsmovementintheUnitedStateshelpedendtheracialdivisionsinprofessionalbaseball.JackieRobinsonbecamethefirstblackplayertobreakthecolorbarrier.TheBrooklynDodgersacceptedhimtotheirteaminnineteenforty-seven.Soon,otherblackplayersbegantojoinmajorleagueteams.The"BaseballasAmerica"exhibitincludesashirt,hatandglovethatJackieRobinsonworeasaBrooklynDodger.Alsoincludedisanexampleofthehundredsofdeaththreatsandhatelettersthathereceived.Blackswerenottheonlygroupexcluded.HispanicandJapaneseplayerswerealsoamongthoserejected.YetwhiteAmericanswerenottheonlyoneswhoenjoyedbaseball.ThemuseumexhibitincludesbaseballequipmentusedbyJapanese-AmericansheldatanintermentcampduringWorldWarTwo.严禁在国家联盟的黑人球员非官方禁令连续了七十年。

第二次世界大战和公民权利运动在美国帮助结束在职业棒球的种族分歧。杰基罗宾逊成为第一位黑人球员，打破了肤色障碍。布鲁克林道奇队接受了他自己在1947年的团队。不久，其他黑人球员们开始加入大联盟球队。

作为美国“棒球”展览涉及一件衬衫，帽子和手套的杰基罗宾逊作为布鲁克林道奇穿。还涉及了死亡威胁的数百例子和仇恨，他收到的信件。

黑人不是唯一被排挤。西班牙和日本选手们之间也拒绝了这些。

然而，美国白人并不是唯一的谁喜欢棒球。该博物馆展出，受到日本棒球设备，在一个营地举行安葬二战期间美国使用。(MUSIC)VOICEONE:Innineteen-tenPresidentWilliamHowardTaftstartedacustom.PresidentTaftthrewoutthefirstpitchonopeningdayofthebaseballseasonthatyear.Almosteverypresidentsincethenhascontinuedthetraditionoftheopeningdaypitch.SignedbaseballsthrownbyPresidentsWarrenHarding,HerbertHoover,CalvinCoolidgeandDwightEisenhoweraspartoftheexhibit.SoarebaseballsthrownbyLyndonJohnson,RichardNixon,JimmyCarterandthefirstPresidentGeorgeBush.在192023总统威廉霍华德塔夫脱开始习惯。塔夫脱总统驳回了开幕当天的棒球赛季第一球的一年。自那时以来，几乎每一个总统不断的开幕当天球场的传统。

由沃伦哈丁总统赫伯特胡佛，卡尔文柯立芝和德怀特艾森豪威尔抛出作为展览的一部分署名棒球。那么，由林登约翰逊，理查德尼克松，卡特和第一任总统乔治布什扔棒球。VOICETWO:OnDecemberseventh,nineteen-forty-one,JapaneseforceslaunchedasurpriseattackontheAmericanNavybaseatPearlHarbor,Hawaii.Asaresult,theUnitedStatesThebaseballseasonwassuspendedaftertheattack.Fiveweekslater,theheadofMajorLeaguebaseballaskedPresidentFranklinDelanoRooseveltiftheseasonshouldcontinue.Thepresidentsaidyes.HewrotethebaseballcommissionerthatthegamewasawaytoraiseAmericanspirits.ThatletterfromPresidentRooseveltispartofthe"BaseballasAmerica"exhibit.OtheritemsfromWorldWarTwoincludeobjectsfromtheAll-AmericanGirlsProfessionalBaseballLeague.ThisleaguewasformedtohelpkeepAmericanspiritshighduringthewar.Atthattime,someofbaseball'smostfamousmaleplayerswereawayaspilotsandsoldiers.Thewarendedinnineteen-forty-five.Thewomen'sleagueendedinnineteen-fifty-fourafteritlostpopularity.12月7，1941年，日本军队发动了对美国珍珠港海军在夏威夷基地忽然袭击。因此，美国进入第二次世界大战。

棒球赛季暂停袭击。五周后，美国职棒大联盟总统富兰克林德拉诺罗斯福问，假如本赛季应当继续头。布什总统说的话。他说棒球专员，游戏是一种方法以提高美国的精神。

这是自罗斯福总统的信，作为美国“棒球”展览的一部分。从二战中的其他项目涉及从对象全美国女子职业棒球联赛。这个联盟已经成立，以帮助在战争中保持较高的美国精神。当时，棒球最有名的男选手有些距离为飞行员和士兵。

战争结束了45年。妇女的联赛结束了54年后，失去了威信。VOICEONE:MajorLeaguebaseballpostponedgamesforoneweekaftertheterroristattacksofSeptembereleventh,two-thousand-one.Severalweekslater,aNewYorkCityfirefighterdiscoveredabaseballintheruinsoftheWorldTradeCenter.Thatballisalsointhe"BaseballasAmerica"exhibitattheNaturalHistoryMuseum(MUSIC)VOICETWO:Baseballandasimilargame,softball,areamongthefirstsportsthatAmericanchildrenlearntoplay.ManychildrencompeteonteamsthroughLittleLeagueprograms.BoysandgirlscanplaytogetheronLittleLeagueteams.LittleLeagueBaseballbegantoacceptgirlsinnineteen-seventy-fourasaresultofcourtaction.Thatyear,LittleLeaguealsoestablishedasoftballprogram.Girlsandboyscanplayeitherbaseballorsoftball,butmostgirlschoosesoftball.TherearemorethanseventhousandLittleLeagueprogramsinmorethanonehundredcountriesar棒球大联盟推迟了一个星期后，9月11恐怖袭击的游戏，2千1。几个星期后，纽约市消防队员发现在世界贸易中心的废墟中棒球。这一球是在与美国“棒球也”展览在自然史博物馆在华盛顿。

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棒球和一个类似的游戏，垒球，属于美国儿童学习演奏的第一运动。通过竞争，许多儿童节目少棒队。

男孩和女孩可以玩小联盟球队在一起。少棒开始接受了法庭的行动而在19