The Baseball Glove

Imagine trying to catch a baseball traveling at roughly 80 miles per hour with nothing protecting your hands. It stings just thinking about it doesn’t it? Surprisingly, this is the way the game was played in the late 19th century. The gloves that were used in those days were designed simply to knock the ball down into play. The palm of the hand was covered by a small amount of padded leather and the fingers were fully exposed.

The few players that actually wore these gloves were often ridiculed by their colleagues as being “sissies”, not worthy of playing the game. Soon the players noticed the value of this new piece of equipment and embraced it. Once the glove became more widely accepted, the amount of broken fingers in the leagues decreased. The first gloves of the 20th century had full covering on the fingers and contained a bit more padding. As the years progressed, leather lacing was used to connect the fingers and a pocket was formed, allowing the ball to be caught instead of just knocked down.

The Baseball Card

Did you know that baseball was the first sport to have player’s cards? In the late 19th century, baseball cards were invented primarily to promote tobacco companies. They massively printed out advertising cards with their product information and a photo of a player on the front. Their idea was ingenious, by inserting a baseball card into a pack of cigarettes, it kept the pack from being crushed. Through the years, other companies bought into this idea, such as the chewing gum industry. After noticing that the younger fans of the sport were more inclined to be the ones purchasing these cards at the local general store, the cards soon had each players stats as well as their photo on these cards. They were soon sold in packs together and the 1950s, baseball trading cards were the newest hobby of America’s youth. Through the years, certain player’s cards became the “Holy Grail” for collectors, such as the 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card and the most sought after of all … the 1910 Honus Wagner card.

The Baseball Bat

The baseball bat. In the early days of the game, players experimented with the style of the bat. They usually made their own since the days of mass productions were still ahead. There were all different types of bats: short and fat, long and thin, even flat edged bats mimicking the English game of cricket. In 1852 it was ruled that the rounded barrel bats were the most effective but they could not exceed 2 ½” in diameter. This was later extended to 2 ¾”. At this point in time they could be of any length.

The type of wood used to create the bats was also experimented on by the players. Early on they realized the “wagon tongue wood”, which is white ash or hickory, was of the highest quality. The players of the late 19th century also realized that by wrapping the handle of the bat with cord or string, it allowed for more control during the wing. By the 1920s, the baseball bat had revolutionized the game, with players customizing their own by branding their signatures or even painting stripes as Good Goslin did in order to make his more distinctive.

The Baseball Ball

Everyone knows what that round, white ball with red stitching feels like in their hands. We all know what its like to throw it across home place, hoping that it would fly right by the batter, knocking the catcher to the ground, stinging his hand. But have you ever really thought about the origins of that marvelous man-made object? Other than hoping to hit it so hard that you split the stitches and expose it’s stuffing, have you ever wondered what it’s really made of? Here’s your chance to learn a brief history of the baseball…

Prior to 1872, the ball was rubber wrapped in string, then covered with horsehide. It weighed approximately 3-6 oz. and was soft, with the fluidity of a wet t-shirt. It barely rolled and did not bounce, it plopped. This resulted in very uneventful and low scoring games. The balls were purposely manufactured this way believe it or not. This left the players to focus more on bunting, hit and run strategies and base stealing. Supposedly, it was not fun to be an outfielder in the early 20th century. In 1931, the core of the ball was upgraded to a cork wrapped in a thin layer of rubber. The covering was changed to cowhide. White cowhide was much easier to see in the air and on the ground than the original brown ball. The stitching was also raised. This allowed the pitcher to create more original throwing techniques, such as the curve ball and the breaking ball. These tweaks that were made in the last century make the ball the way it is today, making the game more active and exciting to watch.

Evolution of Logos

Sport logos have been around since the sports themselves. And just as the game evolves, so did their logo. Over time logos are changed or redesigned to fit today's time. Some are simply made bolder, simpler, stronger colors, different colors and others are scratched and made-a-new. An example of this is the Boston Red Sox. They continued to stay true to their colors over the years. The first logo was created back in 1908, then more detailed was added when the second logo was created in 1979 and used up until 2008. Only recently has the logo returned to the original sox.

A logo represents that team's brand, a symbol of who and what they are. While some changes may redefine for the better, some may make it worse. Not all fans may give the thumbs up or the market may not be there to make the money it use too.

Sources:

Info/Picture - http://logodesignerblog.com/baseball-football-and-basketball-logo-design-evolutions/

Try and imagine watching a game of basketball...without any dribbling. Can't, can you? Well before the development in the game ball we see today by Spalding, players of this game first used a soccer ball. In 1891, peach baskets and a soccer ball were used, thanks to the game's inventor Dr. James Naismith. It wasn't until 1894, Spalding & Bros. Group developed the first basketball. Dribbling wasn't even part of the game, besides for what was known as a "bounce pass", which was bouncing the ball from one player to another. Now, the ball is continuously bounced throughout the whole game, unless being passed through the air to another player. Spalding became the official game ball of the NBA in 1983 (and also WNBA in 1997), with it's full-grain leather materials and it's move from a four to eight panel ball. The ball was given an inflatable rubber, wrapped in layers of fiber and then covered with leather, rubber or a synthetic composite, and a small opening to allow increase and decrease in pressure.

Sources:

Information - http://www.nba.com/news/blackbox_060628.html

http://www.nba.com/features/ball_timeline_060228.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball

Picture - http://goorlandocard.com/blog/files/2007/10/10252007-basketball.jpg

A League of Their Own

A physical education teacher by the name of Senda Berenson, began women's basketball in 1892. Hired at Smith College she took the rules and regulations from the men's game and modified it for the women's. On March 21, 1893, Senda organized the first women's basketball game; competing her freshmen and sophomore players. As the pioneer and mother of women's basketball, in 1899, her rules for the game were published and inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985, paving the way for what will now be known as Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The WNBA got its start on April 24, 1996, by the NBA Board of Governors. By the time it came for tipoff, eight teams were created by the inaugural season. And since then, that number has grown to sixteen. Logos and uniforms were created for the players as well as court and equipment regulations. The size ball used is 28.5 inches in circumference, resulting in one inch smaller than the men's NBA regulation ball. It was chosen that the games would be played during the summer, when other sports calendars were less crowded. At the end of the first season, the WNBA had over 50 million viewers, which was being broadcasted off their three sponsoring networks: ESPN, Lifetime and NBC. By 2001, their viewing audience was nearly 60 million, supported in 23 different languages and over 167 countries.

Sources:

Information - http://www.wnba.com/about_us/historyof_wnba.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball#Women.27s_basketball

Picture - http://www.topnews.in/files/WNBA.jpg

Kicksology

First, let's begin with what exactly "kicksology" means. According to Urban Dictionary, kicksology is the study of shoes, 'kicks', sneakers or any other type of footwear. With the birth of basketball, so was the beginning of what is now known as the Sneaker Era. Sneakers in the basketball world play a very important role. Not only with their technology to help improve the player's game, but the All-Star player who represents the sneaker.

It is believed that the very first sneaker used for the game of basketball were the Converse All Stars, created in the 1917. It was with Charles Goodyear's discovery in vulcanization of rubber, that sneakers were even possible to invent. Over the years, the Sneaker Era will be broken down to represent different time periods of the basketball sneaker. Not just in its advances in technology but socially.

First, there was what is known as the Classic Era, spanning from 1920-1984. Selling over 500 million pair, the Original Chuck Taylors, with their rubber soles were the best selling sneaker for forty years. However, taken over by Nike and the debut of Air Force 1 in 1983, which were the first basketball sneaker using an air sole. Having this new technology at the time separated the company from their competitors and placed them in the lead of basketball sneakers.

Next, came the Jordan Era, from 1985-1993, where one man paved the way for sneaker endorsements as we know today. Icon, Michael Jordan, not only influenced the game but the sneakers worn at the time. Defined as the "pinnacle" of basketball shoes. The original pump was also marketed at this time, first by Reebok, then by Nike. The Pump technology allowed the shoe-wearer to "pump" air into the shoe

From 1994-1998 marked the Golden Era, bringing in some other major players into the sneaker market. Evening the playing field. Michael had just retired from the NBA and sneaker makers, such as, Nike needed new faces. Reebok also responded by finding their best in the league to help advertise and sell their products. Along with new ad campaigns, came new technology and materials and design concepts making every sneakers made in this era "golden."

Sources:

Information - http://www.kicksguide.com/guides/kicksology.asp

http://www.sneakerhead.com/shoe-history-p4.html

Photo - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/A_classic_Black_pair_of_Converse_All_Stars_resting_on_the_Black_&_White_Ed._Shoebox_(1998-2002).JPG/450px-A_classic_Black_pair_of_Converse_All_Stars_resting_on_the_Black_&_White_Ed._Shoebox_(1998-2002).JPG

Salaries in Professional Sports

The first athlete paid to play football was Pudge Heffelfinger in 1892 when he was paid $500 to play for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. In baseball the first professional team was founded in 1869 and they were called the Cincinnati Red Stockings and they earned a salary for an eight month season. In the early days of professional sports athletes were paid very little sometimes far less than regular jobs, but because of gambling athletes had to be paid more to preserve the integrity of the game. In the beginning of professional sports a group of gamblers or even the mob would approach athletes who were in a position to change the outcome of a game and offer them a large sum of money to lose the game. Many times the athlete would take the money because they didn’t get paid that much money, an example would be the Black Sox Scandal.

Once professional sports started to earn a lot of money they realized that they had to pay the athletes a lot of money in order to keep them from taking bribes. Baseball players in the 30’s and 40’s like Lou Gehrig and Joe Dimaggio were paid $20,000 to $40,000, NBA players in the early 80’s like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were paid $500,000 to $800,000. Moses Malone signed the first NBA million dollar contract in 1979, Bobby Hull signed the first million dollar NHL contract in 1976, Nolan Ryan inked the first million dollar contract in baseball in 1979, and Bruce Matthews became the first million dollar man in 1983. NASCAR drivers were first paid in 1948 and in the early 70’s NASCAR and its drivers were given a huge financial boost through cooperate sponsors whos names appeared on the race cars and the driver’s suits.


Sources: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1938&t=NYA

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_was_the_first_NBA_player_to_earn_a_million_dollars_a_year_in_salary

Game Planning with Technology

Technology has had a large impact on sports, especially in the way that they prepare for games. Photographs taken from sky views have been taken since the late 20s and used to get an edge on the opponent. Coaches and players have studied these photos in order in find certain tendencies that other teams have in specific situations and what formations their opponents use. The Yankees were one of the first teams to use photography as a way of preparing for games. The coaches would tell the players to study the way the ball came out of a pitchers hand so they could recognize what pitch was being thrown by the way the fingers were positioned on the ball.

Videos of games were first used in the mid 60’s by the Green Bay Packers to get ready for games and by the late 60’s early 70’s almost every team in the NFL used film to prepare for games. Teams would hold film meetings in which both offense and defense would watch their own game to learn from their mistakes and see where they went wrong and they would also watch previous games that their opponents played to find weaknesses. Coaches would also use film as a tool for motivation, during these film sessions coaches often times would single out players who made mistakes in order to keep them playing at a high level. Radios are used in both NASCAR and the NFL to communicate during games and races. Not everyone can be together at one time during a race or game so the radio provides a constant form of communication. In football all the coaches have radios but the quarterback and one defensive player are the only players that have radios. In NASCAR a radio is setup between the driver and pit crew and in baseball they use a phone to communicate between the bullpen and the dugout. If a coach sees something that a player or driver doesn’t they use the radio to inform the driver or player to make adjustments.

Sources: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80c3eb01&template=with-video&confirm=true

http://www.bigblueview.com/2009/6/11/904729/the-glory-game-how-the-1958-nfl

Video Games

In 1958, the first sports video game, Tennis for Two was invented by William Higinbotham. It was played on a oscilloscope, which was a small computer used to look at voltage signals. Each player had a small line that they could tilt and move up and down in order to hit the ball back to their opponent. In the early 80’s sports video games began to make new developments such as different camera angles during the game, sports announcers, and talking players; but the games were still very plain, they lacked detail and featured no real players or teams. The 90’s saw the biggest changes in games, the teams and players were real and made in 3D to reflect their real life selves. Gamers could manage their teams by adding or dropping players, play the full schedule of games of their favorite team, and play as their favorite athletes.

Sources: http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/history/higinbotham.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_game

Gambling In Sports

Gambling has been a social activity that people have been taking part in since before the days of Christ. Placing bets on sports dates back to the first Olympic Games in 776 BC when only one event took place, a sprint that covered the distance of roughly two football fields. However, it was not until the mid 1800s, when horse racing began to develop that gambling on sports really became organized and popular. As other sports such as football and baseball grew into money making businesses, so did gambling.
A problem with this was that gamblers had a potential to make more money than the players, so it was a possibility that a star player could be bribed to purposely lose a game. Such has been the case in almost every sport. Just before the 1946 NFL Championship game New York Giants fullback Merle Hapes admitted to accepting a $2,500 bribe to lose the game, shortly after the game the quarterback of the Giants, Frank Filchock, also admitted to accepting a bribe to lose the game. The most famous cases of gambling among athletes come from baseball. One of the first cases of players involved in gambling was the Black Sox Scandal in 1919 when members of the Chicago White Sox accepted bribes from the mob to purposely lose the 1919 World Series. This scandal is most famous for the saying, “Say it ain’t so, Joe. Say it ain’t so.” Another famous scandal involved Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose; he was banned from baseball in 1989 after being found guilty of placing bets on his own team in 1987.



Sources: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron/060207

http://history1900s.about.com/od/fadsfashion/a/olympicshistory.htm

Origins of the Olympics

Ever since ancient Greek times, the Olympics have been held every 4 years since 776 bc. They were primarily hosted as part of a religious ceremony in honor of Zeus, the father of Greek gods and goddesses. It was names the Olympics after Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. The games originally started as simple foot races but soon incorporated numerous other games. The games were abolished in 393 by a Roman emperor who said they had pagan influences. The games were reborn as the modern Olympics in Greece in 1896. They were revived on an international scale and the whole world was open for competition. The modern Olympic flag is 5 linked rings, each representing a color of competing nations. Today the Olympics take place in major world cities every 4 years.

Sources:

http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/historical/ancientolympics.asp
http://history1900s.about.com/od/fadsfashion/a/olympicshistory.htm

NASCAR Sponsorship: The Early Years

Fast cars with slick paint jobs has not always been the norm for NASCAR. In the early years, the race cars were worked on by the driver and a small crew with many expenses that were paid for out of pocket. As the popularity of the sport grew so did the need for sponsorship money. Not only did the teams need money to build competitive cars but NASCAR needed to offer larger prize money to attract more attention and help to legitimize the sport. One of biggest turning points in NASCAR sponsorship was the addition of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company at the start of the 1972 season. NASCAR's top series was renamed the Winston Cup series; the sponsorship would remain in place for 32 years. The 1980s brought in larger corporate team sponsors. The sponsors were now becoming major players on the race team.


The influx of money from the sponsor not only allowed for better equipped teams and larger prize money, it also added new responsibilities for the driver. Now drivers were looked at as salesmen for their sponsors. Race teams not only had to deal with the car setup but with managing sponsorship from securing deals with companies to the placement and size of logos on the car. Sponsorship would play an increasing role in the years to come.

References:

Website: Scout.com: Brought To You By........... : http://nascar.scout.com/2/676538.html
Photos: NASCAR: http://www.nascar.com

Sports stadiums of the past

The engineering of sports stadiums has changed drastically over the years. It has gone from unstable foundations made of wood to enormous super-stadiums of today. As with many engineering marvels, the initial buildings aren’t always the best. There can be problems sometimes with bridges, building, and stadiums. When these kinds of things happen, engineers look where they went wrong and improve on them. I’ll be highlighting some common errors of the past.

The initial sports stadiums were made of wood. This caused some problems because if not supported properly, the weight of many spectators moving around can cause sections of stadium to collapse. This can cause injury and even sometimes death. Another problem is wood stadiums is that wood is flammable. 56 people died in Bradford, England in 1985 when someone’s cigarette stub ignited the wood and engulfed part of the stadium.

The biggest problem with stadiums of the past was the fencing off of the playing field. Engineers thought it would be a good idea to fence off the playing field, so that no fans would be able to run out onto the field. Not only does it make fans feel isolated from the game, it makes them feel like they are troublemakers and need to be fenced in. After 96 people were crushed to death in Glasgow, Scotland, fencing was never used again at major stadiums. Too many people were trying to push themselves in (while guards allowed them) to an already full stadium, and the people in the front were getting smashed up against the fence. These people died from lack of breathe.

Sports stadiums were not only designed for looks. They were designed for function but they had some initial problems. Engineers learned from their mistakes and are now constructing well made stadiums.

Sources:

"Stadium Disasters." CNNSI.com. May. 2001. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/news/2000/07/09/stadium_disasters_ap/.

"Football fans crushed at Hillsborough." BBC.com. April. 1989. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_2491000/2491195.stm.

The Harlem Globetrotter's impact on basketball

Vintage Harlem Globetrotters
Uploaded by DiagonalView. - Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.

This video is just a small example of what the Harlem Globetrotters do. They were the first basketball team to make the game even more entertaining to the fans. As they added more and more comic routines into their performances, they became known more for their comedy instead of their sports. It is without a doubt that they started the whole trick basketball movement. Every year the NBA even has a best shot and slam dunk competition.

The Harlem Globetrotters are in an independent league. They were founded in 1926 and play in Harlem, New York.

Sources:

http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/
video: http://www.dailymotion.com/

The invention of the radio

Although there are many inventions that help shaped sports into what it is today, none of them were as important as the radio.

The beginning of the radio started when physicists James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz developed the theory of electromagnetic waves. The first radio was very crude and only sent out signals for a couple meters. Others such as Marconi and Tesla helped develop the idea. Commercial radio broadcasting first started in 1920, and ever since, sports broadcasting flourished.

The invention of the radio changed sports forever. To find out the score in their favorite match, people no longer had to use word of mouth or newspapers. They could sit in their homes and listen to the game instantaneously without even being there. This was a huge step in the evolution of sports. In a way it made sport more popular because as more and more people bought a radio, they would tune in to the sports broadcast that they otherwise might not have been interested in.

This also gave advertisers a chance to profit. They would create ads that they would play in between quarters or at halftime. The radio added a whole new dimension to sports and sports broadcasting.

Sources:

Mack, E. Pamela. The invention of the radio. Clemson.edu. 10/25/05. http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/PamMack/lec122/radio.htmhttp://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/PamMack/lec122/radio.htm

NASCAR Tire Development - The Early Years

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was founded in 1947-48. One of the first images people think of when they hear NASCAR is cars travelling at breathtaking speeds around the track. An important part of the car is the tires. Many of the developments in tire safety were used in NASCAR before becoming available to the general public. One such advancement is the use of an inter liner within the tire (see picture). In the early years, Goodyear and Firestone were the major players in NASCAR tire development. Goodyear was the only manufacturer from 1975 through 1986. Hoosier Tires entered the NASCAR tire manufacturing mix in 1987. The need for increased speeds balanced with safety issues pushed for new compounds and tire materials to be used and tested.

References:

Website / Photo: NASCAR© Winston Cup TRUE TIRE HISTORY - http://www.racelinecentral.com/tirehistory.html

Fighting in the NHL - The Early Years

Have you ever heard the one that goes "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."? Since the inception of the NHL in 1917 fighting has been a major issue The physical nature of the game is one of the major factors attributed to fighting in the NHL. The NHL rulebook did not cover "fisticuffs" until 1922 when a 5 minute no substitution penalty was assessed for fight, before then the players were ejected. Proponents see it as an outlet for frustration during the game and self policing by the players. Opponents feel it detracts from the game and sends the wrong message to children. Smaller players, less protection, a non-aggressive style of play, and slower game play helped to curtail fighting in the early days of the NHL. The player's increased size and speed coupled with better protection added to an increase in fighting. In 1971, the NHL added the "Third Man In" rule, which states additional players who join a fight will be ejected. The rule was added to stop bench clearing brawls.

References:

Website: Wikipedia - Fighting in Hockey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_in_ice_hockey
Book: The official rules of hockey, By James Duplacey, Dan Diamond, ©2000

NHL Goalies Masks - The Early Years

Imagine a frozen vulcanized rubber disk flying towards you, most people's first reaction would be to get out of the way, not so for a hockey goalie. The job of the goalie is to protect his net and stop the puck from entering it. In the early years of the NHL, before rule changes allowed lifting of the puck and slap shots, the goalie manned his post without the benefit of any head protection. Clint Benedict, in 1930, wore a leather mask to protect his broken nose. Benedict's experiment lasted for two games. The NHL would not see another goalie mask used during a game until 1959, when once again to protect a broken nose Jacques Plante wore a homemade fiberglass mask he used to prevent injuries during practice. The masks were created from fiberglass and took considerable time to mold to the shape of the goalie's head and covered only the face with little eye protection. The 1960s saw the development of large fiberglass based masks that provided additional protection to the sides of the face. Advances in the manufacturing of masks allowed for smoother surfaces and addition of padding to lessen the impact of the puck. The cage style of mask consisting of a fiberglass face with wire framework over the eyes came into use in the 1970s and would later evolve into the modern day goalie mask.

Early masks were plain in color. Gerry Cheevers would draw a stitch on his mask where he was hit in the face with a puck or stick. Glenn Resch, in 1976 had his masked painted by an artist ushering in the art of the goalie mask.

References:

Website: Wikipedia - Goaltender mask: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goaltender_mask
Website: NHL - Once vilified, masks now are tools of the trade: http://www.nhl.com/ice/newsprint.htm?id=408973