Many people believe that a man named Abner Doubleday invented the game of Baseball. Abner Doubleday is widely viewed
as the father and creator of baseball as we know it. “The myth about Doubleday actually came from a Colorado mining engineer (Thorn n.p.) The man said that he was watching some schoolboys play when Doubleday drew in the dirt with a stick the rules of baseball. It is said that Abner Doubleday then went on to become a civil war hero. “Doubleday never knew that he had invented baseball but 15 years after his death he was anointed as father and creator of the game. The myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball is actually completely untrue. Nobody really knows why the mining engineer would make up the myth or how it even came to be but it is one of the most widely believed stories of how baseball came to be. The myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball is not true but a lot of people believe it.
The real story of the origin of baseball is far more complicated and less exciting. Baseball actually kind of evolved from other games, mainly cricket and a game called rounders which was played by schoolboys. “Different variations of the game were played in the 18th century in different parts of the country- New York, Philadelphia and Massachusetts each had their own versions- but eventually something like the New York game which featured the creation of a foul territory and base paths won out- though not necessarily because it was the best game. (Thorn n.p.). There were many different variations of baseball at first but eventually the version that was played in New York won out and the other versions slowly faded away. In the Philadelphia version for instance base runners did not have to stay in the base paths, so they could be chased all over the field. Baseball was still very different then it is today (Thorn n.p.). They played with a mushy ball in non-enclosed parks so hitting for power did not really exist until much later. Baseball slowly evolved from other sports and it continues to evolve to this day.
Baseball was invented around the time that the civil war was happening. Americans needed something that could bring them together since the nation was beginning to divide. Baseball was exactly the thing that they needed to bring them together during those tough times. Baseball has brought many people together in the hundreds of years since then. Baseball is well deserving of its title of “America’s Pastime” Baseball is very different now than it was back then. There are a few new rules such as the Designated hitter and the creation of the American and National leagues and the World Series. Modern Equipment has also changed the game quite drastically. Baseball will continue to evolve forever and it will always be America’s Pastime.
The origin of baseball is still not known for sure. Many people believe the myth that Abner Doubleday invented it. It is more likely however that it simply evolved from games such as cricket and rounders. Baseball was invented to bring people together and is still evolving to this day. The origin of baseball is a mystery that will probably never be solved. People can only theorize what happened but nobody knows for sure.