The World Series - America's Fall Classic
by Kelly Sallaway - LincsMag Writer.
Date: 01 November 2010
The World in The World Series
There is nothing as American as Baseball and all of America stops for a week in late October to watch who will be crowned the years' Champions of "The Fall Classic." Of course we call the annual Baseball championship, The World Series.
Unlike The World Cup our world tournament is exclusively for teams originating right here in this country. Teams from major cities are divided into The American League and The National League.
After a long, long summer and a 161 game season, the two leagues provide their season's winner and these two teams play a seven game series to determine the "World" championship.
Baseball born in Britain
No one agrees about the invention of the Baseball but research supports that the modern game has its origins in the 1600-1700's in Great Britain. Baseball, Cricket and Rounders, were probably developed from earlier British folk games.
The game that is now being played in The World Series has been played in America since the early 1800's and it is an essential element in the country and part of our culture.
The first series to determine an overall championship for the U.S. was in 1903. At the time a newspaper declared the winner's World Champions and the name stuck. It could be our natural ego but it was a time when America was in a post Civil War period of growth. In 1903 The Wright Brothers took flight at Kittyhawk, Henry Ford started Ford Motor Company, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company began and Americans focused inward while the industrial revolution shifted into full gear.
Japan gets it
As a world sport, modern Baseball had already taken hold in Japan where the game was introduced in 1872 and the first real International tournaments were held in the late 1800's. Today Baseball remains the most popular sport in Japan. Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan mirrors the American system with two major leagues playing for an annual championship.
Theses series don't necessarily feature the World's best players since the top Japanese players are plucked out of the minor leagues and exported to the United States. The Japanese players who make it to Major League Baseball are honored as their Country's biggest heroes.
Kids in Japan all play baseball and the Orient continues to promote amateur baseball with teams from Japan and Taiwan frequently winning The Little League World Series.
The World stage in the USA
The world flavor of The World Series also extends to players from various other Countries. Maybe the name of the Series could be justified as it features the top players in the 'World'. The Major Leagues are heavily populated with ball players from the Caribbean and Latin American. This season the two teams feature 6 players from the Dominican Republic 4 from Puerto Rico and 2 from Venezuela.
The opportunity to play in the United States is significant for these players coming from someplace like Dominica where the average annual pay is about $9,000 a year- to a stint with a minor league team at maybe $40,000 to the majors where the lower rungs make $400,000. A Veteran Latin American player in the current Series has a contract of $4,500,000.
American football is as popular as baseball and probably more unique to the US but it doesn't enjoy the long summer season or have the same distinction of being America's "official" game. Football and basketball both start their year in Autumn as Baseball and the "Boys of Summer" wrap up their season.
Baseball is still the sentimental favorite and no matter your favorite team, as an American The World Series is a 'world championship' and there is only one "Fall Classic".
