Is baseball or football truley the american past time?

Question

pigskin or leather? homeruns or touchdowns? Unitas or Mantle? The debate goes on, so which sport truley is the american pastime?

Answer 1

Well in my opinion, I would say they both weigh in evenly. I love both football and baseball. Here is some interesting facts about both games:

Early baseball
A game called "base-ball" had developed in England by the early 18th century, and it continued to be called "baseball" until after 1800. It was mentioned in a book published in 1744 called Little Pretty Pocket-Book. As is the case with all folk games, there were many variations. Similar games were played in America well before 1800.

Rules for "baseball" appeared in 1796, in a German book by Johann Guts Muths, who called the game "English base-ball". In the game described by Guts Muths, the number of bases varied with the number of players, and a single out retired the entire side.

In Northanger Abbey (written 1798), Jane Austen wrote (emphasis added): (Catherine) should prefer cricket, base ball, riding on horseback, and running about the country, at the age of fourteen, to books.

In 2004, historian John Thorn discovered a reference to a 1791 bylaw prohibiting anyone from playing "baseball" within 80 yards of the new meeting house in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A librarian found the actual by-law in the Berkshire Athenaeum library, and its age was verified by researchers at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center.

If authentic and if actually referring to a recognizable version of the modern game, the 1791 document, would be, as of 2004, the earliest known reference to the game in America.


In the Beginning
The story of football began sometime during the 19th century in England when a soccer player, frustrated at using only his feet to manipulate the ball, decided to simply pick it up and run with it. Although it was clearly against the rules of soccer, other players soon found the new way of playing soccer appealing and thus, the sport of rugby was born.

The new sport soon became a world-wide success that found its way into America by the mid-1800s. Played by many northeastern colleges, it was not long before Harvard University and Yale University met in Massachussetts in 1876 to formalize the rules to rugby that were similar to those in England. There were differences however: instead of playing with a round ball, the schools opted for an egg-shaped and the game's name was changed from rugby to football. To finalize the meeting, an organization called the Intercollegiate Football Association(IFA) was created to preside over the Americanized sport.

Football was still mainly American rugby--much different from the popular sport known today. Over the course of three years starting in 1880, Yale player Walter Camp eventually convinced the IFA to change a series of rules in football to create a game that is very similar today. For that, Camp is considered by historians as the father of modern football.

Answer 2

Football

Answer 3

Football is America's favorite sport, but baseball will still be in the top 3 becuase it is an American Sport, like football and becuase of tradition.

Answer 4

Football passed baseball a long time ago.

Answer 5

Video games.

Answer 6

Neither. Nascar is the great American past-time.

Answer 7

football is America's past time