Yesterday America watched the Super Bowl, one of the most highly revered sporting events of the year. All over the country, people packed into sports bars and gathered at friends' houses to watch the big game. Major companies forked over millions of dollars for a few minutes of advertising time, while social media sites lit up with comments about the latest play. It begs the question: Is baseball still America's Pastime or does football now reign supreme? It's a fair inquiry. After all, the NFL generates huge revenues and television ratings. I honestly couldn't tell you how the major U.S. sports rank in these two categories. I haven't looked it up. Regardless of what the numbers may be, it would be difficult to extract a sense of national identity from this information alone. It would be like saying that Yellowstone must be more American than the Rocky Mountains because its vendors sell more T-shirts. To really answer this question, we must widen our view beyond numerical data sets.
The average American (including the one who doesn't follow sports) is more knowledgeable about, and has a deeper sentimental attachment towards, baseball than any other game - including football. Baseball is so ingrained in U.S. culture, this basic understanding occurs without any real effort. For example, no one learns about Babe Ruth by accidentally coming across him in an encyclopedia or through hours of scrutinizing record books. We grow up, from very early childhood, just sort of knowing who he is. There are several reasons for this. 1. Baseball is part of our national vernacular. Here are a few examples right off the bat: Make sure to cover all your bases so you're not surprised by someone who throws you a curve (you don't want to be caught off base by an unexpected event that comes out of left field). When negotiating a ballpark figure, send in a heavy hitter who isn't afraid to step up to the plate and play hardball. Then go to your closer to knock the deal out of the park. Have you ever tried to make it to first base on a date? Were you successful or did you strike out? Maybe your date said he/she would have to take a rain-check. Next time you won't be so quick to swing for the fences.
2. When significant moments occur in football, they become part of football history. When significant moments happen in baseball, they become part of American history. In 1946, four black players re-integrated professional football - beating Major League Baseball by a year. Can you name one of the four? Now how about the first black player to re-integrate baseball? Another example - in 1995, the entire country followed Cal Ripken Jr. as he approached Lou Gehrig's streak for consecutive games played. In 2009, Brett Favre broke football's "Iron Man" record with much less fanfare. How many people can name the previous NFL record holder? The same can be said for Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds and every other baseball player as he approached a major milestone. America cherishes its baseball records more so than in other sports. Even when it comes to sports scandals, the American public takes them much more personally when they happen in baseball. Consider the Black Sox world series scandal of 1919. Almost 100 years later, people are still talking and writing about it. Baseball fans and non-fans alike have an opinion on whether Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. The modern day steroids scandal hit the country particularly hard. Americans don't like it when people mess with the integrity of their national sport.
Walt Whitman is quoted as saying "Baseball is our game. That's the chief fact in connection with it. [It's] America's game. [It] has the snap, go fling, of the American atmosphere [and] belongs as much to our institutions, fits into them as significantly, as our constitutions [and] laws. [It] is just as important in the sum total of our historic life."
Baseball is more than just the Major Leagues. It's watching your kids play tee-ball and little league, father-son backyard catches, big city ballpark cathedrals, and small-town minor league excursions. It's the baseball card collection that you either still keep somewhere in the back of your closet, or that you've never forgiven your parents for having thrown away. Of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey, baseball is the only sport you can watch on the Fourth of July, after returning home from a neighborhood barbecue and Main Street parade. It's less violent than football and hockey. It's the great American hero-making machine with the power to instantly transform you back to your childhood. It's not just a game. It's truly our national pastime.
Photos taken by Danial Orange: 1. a mural at Nationals Park in Washington, DC; 2. a Babe Ruth-signed baseball at the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; 3. a statue of Casey at the Bat in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
