The Perks of America's Greatest Pastime

Henry Miller
Professor Musgrave
English 1302-8012
29 January 2012
The Perks of America’s Greatest Pastime Baseball is known as America’s greatest pastime, but that does not mean that the sport is dying out. The sport of baseball teaches us much more than just the rules of a game; the game teaches lessons of life. If it weren’t for baseball, I wouldn’t be nearly as prepared for adversity as I am today. Life lessons have been deeply embedded in this sport for decades, and fortunately, I have had the opportunity to learn a large amount of these lessons. America’s pastime intrigues me because as long as I play, I will never stop learning from the game. People who have been involved in baseball their whole lives still learn new things from the game each year. I believe that every parent should register their sons in baseball for the array of benefits the game provides. I started playing baseball when I was seven years old and I am blessed for the opportunity to play in college. I view baseball as a mirror of life. A large group of people view baseball as a dull and uneventful game, which is partly why I find it is strikingly similar to life. In baseball nine players play and they all focus their attention on one ball. That ball might never come to a couple of those nine players, but every player has to remain focused and prepared every pitch. If they lose attention or get lazy, their opportunity to make a play may vanish in seconds before they even know what happened. In life there are millions of people and their focus is being successful. Not everyone can be the big shots in their workplace immediately, so they must work persistently and prepare for their opportunity to prove themselves. If they are not prepared and don’t perform then they will not be successful. Life has a way of catching us at the wrong time when we are not prepared, but I feel like baseball has truly better prepared me for moments like this in life. Parents need to understand the skills and lessons that baseball can teach their children for real life experience. Experience is the greatest teacher, and the game of baseball provides the opportunity for kids to learn these lessons in a controlled environment with less severe consequences for failure. If you are a parent interested in getting your boy involved in a sport, I say you should choose baseball because of the array of benefits the game provides. Baseball seasons are usually very lengthy with many games. The long seasons tend to break players down physically and mentally, much like an everyday job. Everybody gets to points of extreme mental and physical exhaustion, but those who can ignore the distractions and keep moving are the ones who come out on top. Baseball is an extremely mental game. Players that are mentally weak tend not to last very long, similar to weak links in the workplace. There are times in baseball when it seems like a player can do nothing right, and during these times, a player’s confidence becomes extremely sensitive and fragile. In baseball terms, they call this a slump and every player experiences them throughout their career, but the severity of the slumps vary. If a player finds himself in a massive slump, the effects could be detrimental to his career. I learned the power of confidence through this life lesson. Self-Confidence is an important quality to possess in order to achieve success in baseball, the workplace, and life in general. Aside from life lessons, baseball has impacted my life in more concrete ways. Baseball has given me some of the single greatest moments of my life. When I’m old and I look back on my life, I think more than half of my memories will be of my days playing baseball. This game has been the only thing I had left at certain moments in my life. Baseball singularly maintained my sanity when my parents split, and if it weren’t for baseball I probably would have lost it. I have had the opportunity to meet some of the most influential people on my life because of my years of baseball. The relationships teammates and coaches form during baseball never fade. The bond a team forms while going through a season together is something special, and it is the something that all young men should experience. The benefits of playing baseball are plentiful and never ending. America’s pastime hasn’t gone anywhere and I encourage parents to keep it alive by registering their sons to play. The risk is miniscule and the benefits are everlasting. Baseball has done magical things in my life, and I believe the game can for anybody who plays it. I wouldn’t be the young man I am today without baseball because of the many lessons I have learned while playing. I never stop learning new things in baseball and it never gets old. Baseball may be America’s pastime but the game will always reside number one in my heart. Give your son the opportunities that I have had through playing baseball. I wish for every young boy to have the experiences I have had during my years of playing this great game.