Baseball Equipment and the Evolution of America’s Pastime

Baseball is considered our national pastime. It developed from a much older game that was quite popular in Great Britain and Ireland called rounders. The new game evolved from this popular British game and as we were a brand new country, we gave our game a brand new name, baseball. Often referred to as America’s Pastime, this nickname was chosen because it became an extremely popular sport after the Civil War ended in 1865, and the title stuck because in the late 19th and early 20th century it was the most widely played and watched sport in America. Everyone who had a bat and a ball played it. As a consequence of it’s popularity, over the years just about everything concerning the game evolved.

This first started with the playing field. Initially all the bases were to be fastened to the field at each corner and the center of each base was to be exactly 30 feet from home base. In 1860 foul ball posts were added on the fields and in 1861 foul lines were also used. Later on, third and first base were moved in by 7.5 inches to keep them away from the foul line markers. Finally, after all the field details were settled on, new innovations continued to creep in including upgrades in the baseball equipment used to play the game.

With the invention of the electric light, the whole game changed. Promoters quickly took advantage of these new lights and had them installed in all of their ballparks. For the first time ever games could be played at night. The first night game was held in September of 1880 and was a huge success and the game hasn’t been the same since. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century also saw the formation of American and the National leagues, the two leagues that today are the homes of the best players in the sport. The National league was formed in 1876 and the American league was founded in 1901. During these formative years the games popularity continued to skyrocket until it reached its zenith, which many commentators agree, came right after World War II.

Baseball is still an extremely popular sport and the question often comes up, what kind of baseball equipment is needed if you want to form a team? First off you need uniforms. Every organized team playing today even little league teams have uniforms. One way to help raise the funds for this and the other equipment you will need is to try and get a local sponsor for your team. This is a very common strategy that is used quite extensively. The other gear you will need, include regulation bats, balls and gloves. Gloves in particular vary in make and function. A catcher mitt is very large and has extra padding compared to a fielders glove. A first baseman’s glove generally has extra large catchers webbing to allow for easier snagging of throws to first base. Protective baseball equipment is also a necessity. Hard hats for use when batting pads and other protection are highly recommended.