Think on hot dogs, and hats/caps. That is a tradition worthy of a few paragraphs.
The tradition on caps has carried over to other sports, and...gangs...
What traditions have grown around baseball, and how do they affect the people who play and love the game?
4 answers
I think the tradition of a World Series to declare an over-all champion has carried over into other sports and other endeavors, like beauty pageants and other things, too. We even have a world series in little-league baseball and softball now, a Miss America, a Miss Universe, etc., not to mention the Superbowl, the NBA championships, etc. And we're trying to figure out how to declare a national champion in college football now, akin to the Superbowl, for good or for ill.
The mannerisms that a society associates with often come to characterize not only a social culture, but a nation as well. In America, the aspect that most defines American culture and way of life is the game of baseball. It is a cultural icon above all others. It is a sport rooted in the American spirit, and characterized by its ever-present place in the hearts of all Americans. It is the national pastime, the American sport, one cherished and loved by an entire nation. In many ways, it symbolizes not only America, but the American spirit. The scholar Gerald Early wrote, " I think that there are only three things that America will be known for two thousand years from now when they study this civilization; the constitution, jazz music, and baseball. They're the three most beautiful designed things this country has ever produced." From its very conception, throughout its evolution, and even in its modern day existence, baseball has a special and unique place in our national history and culture. Its creation was seen as an accomplishment of a uniquely American nature. As America as a nation evolved, so did the sport of baseball. During the age of Industrial growth, when cities were vastly expanding, baseball was seen as a pastoral presence in an ever-growing urban environment. Baseball symbolized society, even in all its glories and faults. This especially can be seen when it comes to racial segregation. Racial segregation plagued American society for generations, and sadly, during much of the 19th and 20th centuries, baseball was as segregated as America herself. The result of this culminated in the Negro Leagues, an African-American baseball organization. In so many ways, baseball is a symbol of America. Never has there been such a uniquely American cultural phenomenon that has had such a historical impact on the nation. Baseball is the national pastime, an honor no other sport is bestowed with, and it exists as a direct result of the American spirit. There is no other sport so rich in history as baseball, and certainly none of greater identity to the nation. Baseball exits as a representation of America, her culture, and all that she stands for.
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