Thinking Like a Historian
Cause & Effect:
1.Cause: After the Civil War, families had a lot of downtime in the summer, but found themselves bored with nothing to do. At this time, there weren’t any nationwide popular sports. However, baseball had been played on camps during the Civil War, so its knowledge of existence spread when soldiers went back home after the war.
Short Term Effect: Towns all across the US began playing baseball games in the afternoon and baseball became America’s favorite pastime. Men got the chance to play a sport, and women and children were able to watch and enjoy the games.
Long Term Effect: Today baseball is one of the most famous sports in the world. It’s played on levels ranging from youth to professional. Professional baseball is a multi-billion dollar market and the World Series is one of television’s most viewed events. Baseball is one of the first sports that kids can play at an organized level today. It provides fitness for kids as long as family time on summer afternoons.
2. Cause: Dr. James Naismith wanted to create a game for his gym class that wasn’t dangerous. He also wanted to create a game that could be played during the winter months to condition young athletes
Short Term Effect: Basketball could be played during the winter months between football and baseball seasons. This made it very popular, very quickly. Boys in gym class had a way to condition while still having fun. Men in college and out of college had a way to pass time during the winter months.
Long Term Effect: Basketball has gone from being a sport played between football and baseball seasons, to a sport played year round. Once the NBA was formed, popularity took another huge jump. Today, game is very intense and very fun to watch at the college and professional level. Professional basketball is another multi-billion dollar market today that not only provides entertainment, but also jobs (players, coaches, sports broadcasters, sports commentators, area staff, construction of arena, etc).
3. Cause: Walter Camp changed the rules of rugby in 1876
Short Term Effect: He created an organized form of “mob football” that could be played on college campuses. It provides students with something to do between classes
Long Term Effect: Mob Football has gone from a way to pass time on campus, to the greatest team sport in the world. Once again, Professional football is a multi-billion dollar market that has created many jobs and served as a great form of entertainment to Americans. In high school, a homecoming game is played for football. The week of homecoming is full of school spirit and has been a great high school tradition as there is also a dance that follows the homecoming football game. The homecoming football game has been a way to bring together everyone in a school.
Change & Continuity (of Baseball):
Change:
Major Turning Point: Bo Ryan takes over as Head Coach
Minor Turning Point: Creation of the Brewers
When football first reached America, it was banned from college athletics for being too dangerous. This is similar to today because there are lots of people who think that football is too dangerous. However, football will not be banned. Because of the risk of the game the 1800’s, safety equipment and rules have had time to evolve and now football is safer than it has ever been.
When basketball was first invented, there were no backboards. Backboards were added shortly later to keep spectators from interfering with the ball since the hoop was generally attached to a balcony. Today, we still have backboards but it is used as an asset to the players, not to keep the spectators from interfering. Since hoops had to be attached to balconies when the game first started, backboards had to be invented. They were adapted into the game and now we have them today, for a different purpose.
Originally, dribbling wasn’t used in basketball, just passing. In 1897, Yale introduced dribbling as an offensive strategy. This new strategy was effective and was adopted by other teams. Today, teams are always creating new strategies to use and other teams are always stealing them. Teams have always been trying to get an edge on their opponent, and while you can’t change the rules to the game, you can scheme up new strategies. Teams are always trying to take advantages of the rules. Before 1936 there was no 3 second lane rule. This would enable the team’s tallest player to just stand under the basket the whole offensive possession, which was very tough to guard. Also, before 1944 there was no rule that prohibited goaltending, so players could just jump up and knock the ball away right before it was about to go into the basket. Today in the NBA, players will purposely foul the other team’s worst free throw shooter in close games to try and prevent them from scoring. Since teams have always tried to bend rules and take advantage of anything they can, rules have changed to make games more fair. Which in hand makes the game more intense to play and watch. Without the competitiveness and rule bending of the game in the past, we wouldn’t have the fundamental, organized, and intense style of basketball that we have today.
Through Their Eyes:
1.Cause: After the Civil War, families had a lot of downtime in the summer, but found themselves bored with nothing to do. At this time, there weren’t any nationwide popular sports. However, baseball had been played on camps during the Civil War, so its knowledge of existence spread when soldiers went back home after the war.
Short Term Effect: Towns all across the US began playing baseball games in the afternoon and baseball became America’s favorite pastime. Men got the chance to play a sport, and women and children were able to watch and enjoy the games.
Long Term Effect: Today baseball is one of the most famous sports in the world. It’s played on levels ranging from youth to professional. Professional baseball is a multi-billion dollar market and the World Series is one of television’s most viewed events. Baseball is one of the first sports that kids can play at an organized level today. It provides fitness for kids as long as family time on summer afternoons.
2. Cause: Dr. James Naismith wanted to create a game for his gym class that wasn’t dangerous. He also wanted to create a game that could be played during the winter months to condition young athletes
Short Term Effect: Basketball could be played during the winter months between football and baseball seasons. This made it very popular, very quickly. Boys in gym class had a way to condition while still having fun. Men in college and out of college had a way to pass time during the winter months.
Long Term Effect: Basketball has gone from being a sport played between football and baseball seasons, to a sport played year round. Once the NBA was formed, popularity took another huge jump. Today, game is very intense and very fun to watch at the college and professional level. Professional basketball is another multi-billion dollar market today that not only provides entertainment, but also jobs (players, coaches, sports broadcasters, sports commentators, area staff, construction of arena, etc).
3. Cause: Walter Camp changed the rules of rugby in 1876
Short Term Effect: He created an organized form of “mob football” that could be played on college campuses. It provides students with something to do between classes
Long Term Effect: Mob Football has gone from a way to pass time on campus, to the greatest team sport in the world. Once again, Professional football is a multi-billion dollar market that has created many jobs and served as a great form of entertainment to Americans. In high school, a homecoming game is played for football. The week of homecoming is full of school spirit and has been a great high school tradition as there is also a dance that follows the homecoming football game. The homecoming football game has been a way to bring together everyone in a school.
Change & Continuity (of Baseball):
Change:
- Baseball used to be underhand toss ⇒ Change to overhand pitching made game more difficult for players but made it more intense for fans to watch (Short term effect: Game became more competitive; Long term effect: The competitiveness of the game has made it very popular today)
- Players consisted of males just out of high school who played on their community teams for only a few years at most before they settled down and started a family ⇒ Players consist of both genders and many different ages on multiple levels now
- Players used be be paid very very little money to play on teams⇒ Today players can become very rich off of playing baseball
- Players used to not wear gloves ⇒ Wearing gloves made the game easier for players (Long term effect)
- Introducing gloves created a new manufacturing market, which in turn created jobs (Short term effect) ⇒ Million dollar market today (Long term effect)
- Fundamental rules of the game have mostly remained unchanged
- Baseball is still America’s greatest pastime for summer afternoons
- Wooden bats are still used in the major leagues which keeps players safe while wood bat manufacturers continue to support jobs
- Green Bay Packers
- Changed competition with pursuit of perfection
- Super Bowl Trophy named after Lombardi
- 5 Championships
- Increased seating brought in more money and fans
- Better equipment was purchased
- Atmosphere of games became more intense
Major Turning Point: Bo Ryan takes over as Head Coach
- Went from one of the worst teams in the NCAA to one of the best teams
- Made NCAA tournament every year since Ryan began coaching (2001-2002 season)
- Only made NCAA tournament 7 times before his arrival
Minor Turning Point: Creation of the Brewers
- In 1970, the Seattle Pilots went bankrupt, allowing Bug Selig to purchase the team and bring them to Milwaukee
When football first reached America, it was banned from college athletics for being too dangerous. This is similar to today because there are lots of people who think that football is too dangerous. However, football will not be banned. Because of the risk of the game the 1800’s, safety equipment and rules have had time to evolve and now football is safer than it has ever been.
When basketball was first invented, there were no backboards. Backboards were added shortly later to keep spectators from interfering with the ball since the hoop was generally attached to a balcony. Today, we still have backboards but it is used as an asset to the players, not to keep the spectators from interfering. Since hoops had to be attached to balconies when the game first started, backboards had to be invented. They were adapted into the game and now we have them today, for a different purpose.
Originally, dribbling wasn’t used in basketball, just passing. In 1897, Yale introduced dribbling as an offensive strategy. This new strategy was effective and was adopted by other teams. Today, teams are always creating new strategies to use and other teams are always stealing them. Teams have always been trying to get an edge on their opponent, and while you can’t change the rules to the game, you can scheme up new strategies. Teams are always trying to take advantages of the rules. Before 1936 there was no 3 second lane rule. This would enable the team’s tallest player to just stand under the basket the whole offensive possession, which was very tough to guard. Also, before 1944 there was no rule that prohibited goaltending, so players could just jump up and knock the ball away right before it was about to go into the basket. Today in the NBA, players will purposely foul the other team’s worst free throw shooter in close games to try and prevent them from scoring. Since teams have always tried to bend rules and take advantage of anything they can, rules have changed to make games more fair. Which in hand makes the game more intense to play and watch. Without the competitiveness and rule bending of the game in the past, we wouldn’t have the fundamental, organized, and intense style of basketball that we have today.
Through Their Eyes:
- For Native Americans lacrosse was more than just a game, they treated it like war
- Before games, tribes would take part in many spiritual rituals
- Only males of the best physical condition would take part in the lacrosse games
- Games were used to settle conflicts between tribes (much like war does)
- Tribes would wager land
- Players would wager items themselves
- The winner took all, and a large feast would follow the game as a celebration
- Europeans observed the fundamental part of the game when they came to America
- Europeans took what they saw from observing the games and adapted the game into their lives
- The Europeans didn’t focus on the cultural part of the game, just the fundamental
- Over the years rules have changed (less players, smaller field, base rules), turning the game that Natives played for land and items, into a recreational sport that we can play today