Until a few decades ago, a longstanding myth about the discovery of baseball existed among many Americans. Specifically, the narrative has been that the game was formed in Cooperstown, New York by Abner Doubleday (Calcaterra, 2020). It was the Mills Commission that was tasked with tracking and crediting the roots of the sport. With such an assignment at hand, the team ascribed Doubleday, a veteran hero, as the real brain behind the famous sport in North America (Calcaterra, 2020). They gave the origins of this activity to Cooperstown in 1839.
However, the reality of the background of this game is otherwise. Notably, Doubleday was not even a supporter of this pastime, much less its initiator. A review of the available literature shows that its variations have been present since the early 18th century ranging from kids’ events, such as rounders, to cricket. Nonetheless, it is now known to many people that Alexander Joy was the creator of baseball. He was a banker and a volunteer firefighter from New York who first thought of the diamond-shaped infield, the three-strike rules, and the foul lines (Calcaterra, 2020). Furthermore, the activity has long been in existence since the 1840s and became professionally recognized in the 1870s.
The game has been immortalized since its history came from a reputable team. Several people could not satisfactorily question the story initiated by the commission, hence, becoming embedded in the public consciousness for many decades. Even though Mills’ account was refuted by some baseball historians, it remained a commanding text on the formation of this sport (Calcaterra, 2020). However, many people refuted the narrative despite no baseball historian giving credibility to this chronicle up to the middle of the 20th century.
Reference
Calcaterra, C. (2020). Today in baseball history: A lie about how baseball was invented is born. NBC Sports. Web.