In 1846, the Knickerbockers played the first official baseball game against a team of cricketers, marking the beginning of a unique American tradition. Since then, baseball has grown in popularity around the world, thanks to extensive television coverage and the World Baseball Classic. The story that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839 was once widely accepted, but has since been discredited by baseball historians. The earliest known reference to the word baseball dates back to 1700, when Anglican Bishop Thomas Wilson expressed his disapproval of the Morris dance, club play, baseball and cricket that occur on Sundays.
Baseball historians believe that the rules set by the Knickerbockers were not original, except for the one that provided for three outs per inning. Alexander Cartwright is credited with introducing baseball to most cities he visited on his trip to Western California in search of gold. It is believed that during this time, baseball's popularity declined due to the United States Civil War. However, it eventually became the most popular sport in America.
The New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club is considered to be the first baseball team in the United States and was founded in September 1845. The club's rules were based on an earlier game called “town ball” and were later adopted by other teams. In response to mockery from other teams, Selig announced the formation of a committee charged with studying the origins of baseball. Spalding later lobbied Graves for more information and, according to Spalding, Graves provided him with all kinds of information stating that Doubleday had invented, and even named, baseball. However, there was no substantial evidence to support this story. Like Doubleday, Cartwright didn't know he invented baseball when he died in 1892, a year before his involuntary rival.
It is not known for certain what the original purpose of the stool was; it was possibly a tree stump, since storing and storing everything means stump in some local dialects. Today, baseball continues to be a popular sport around the world. The World Baseball Classic has helped keep the game growing and has helped introduce it to new audiences. The history of baseball is an interesting one and it is important to remember its roots.
