Art is a concept that can be traced back to ancient times. It relates to human activities and the effects of these activities. Art is diverse in nature because it cuts across various aspects of the society. There are two basic categories of art: visual and non-visual art. Visual arts comprise of performing art (music, dance and theatre acts), photography, paintings. Non-visual arts, on the contrary, are not visible. Baseball is a popular sport in the United States. It can be described as a two-by-two-by-two game. This means that it involves two teams, involves using a bat and a ball, and players take turns batting and fielding. It draws a large fan base all over the country. It is associated with associated with pre-season and on-season excitement among the fans. The argument that baseball is an art is a debatable topic.
Art is a skill. Art requires individuals to be skilled in their work. Such skill may be acquired from learning or through talent. The game of baseball does not require any prior skill. The skills applied in the sport can be attained through interest and training. Players who show interest for the game at an early age can considerably improve their skill by undergoing the relevant training program. The baseball player’s ability to improve its skill above other players that are more talented is also greatly influenced by their desire. Proficiency of a skill can be acquired by the player repetition of the skill. Repeating the skill wrongly also reduces mastery of the skill. Therefore, baseball requires skill but is not in itself a skill.
Art is educative. Art can be used to pass messages of educative nature to the recipients. The importance of art can be seen through the integration of art in school curriculums. Schools and universities have increasingly recognized the important role that is played by art in imparting skills and knowledge to students through education. Baseball, on the other hand, is a co-curricular activity in schools. There only exist guidelines that can be used to improve the quality of a player’s skill in the game. Students in different fields can use the game to relax their brains for education purposes. Hence, baseball is not educative but can be used as an aid to education.
Art can change lives. It has the ability to transform the livelihood of individuals. Like any other sport, baseball if played professionally can impact positively on the income of the players. Baseball players competing in major competitive leagues are paid reasonably well. Such players can improve the standards of their lives by improving their skills. The sport can also be used to impact on the lives of fans by taking affiliation to particular teams. This gives them a sense of belonging to these fans. Thus, it is agreed that both art and baseball impact on the life of individuals.
Art is entertaining. Films acts, theatre performances, music and dances are examples of art that are used to provide entertainment. Art lovers go to film theatres, music concerts and other venues to get entertained. Baseball also achieves the same objective. It is a source of entertainment to fans of the sport. Various baseball fans throng into baseball games to participate in the excitement of the game by cheering on their teams. High pitched games offer entertainment to these fans. Therefore, it is evident that baseball is similar to art in that it is entertaining.
Art is a beauty. This means that the work of art is associated with beauty. Baseball lovers associate their love for the sport to things such as the swinging of the bat, the precision of the throws and the intensity of the runs. There is a kind of beauty associated with the way the sport is played. The beauty of the game is associated with the rules of the game. The game has unique characteristics. There are two teams in the game each comprising of nine players each. The teams take turns in playing offense and defense. This kind of arrangement is only particular to baseball thus indicating the beauty of the game.
Art can tell a story. A work of art will often narrate the story behind the results or outcome of a certain event. Every piece of painting, drawing, performance and other forms of art has a storyline behind its existence. The evolution of baseball can be traced back to ancient England and the sport was introduced in North America by immigrants. Therefore, the current rules and modification of the game are an extension of ancient baseball in England. It is therefore agreed that there is a story behind every work of art as there is a story behind the existence of baseball. Such stories often tend to explain the origin and reasons for the work of art and the baseball game.
Art influences the way people think. This is because the work of art usually contains messages that the supposed to be interpreted by the people. These messages are normally hidden but sometimes they are as simple and as plain presented. Baseball on the other hand, is a simple sport. Unlike games such as chess, it does not require any mental strain. It can however shape how people relate through interaction. Games such as sport have been used to unite people with disagreeing sentiments. Baseball has been used to show people that irrespective of differences in the way that they think, room should be allowed for the sentiments of other people.
Art can provoke emotions and moods. Works of art that are executed well often provokes a variety of diverse emotions such as of sadness, happiness, joy etc among people. Artists can therefore use their work to arouse different emotions and moods among their audience. Baseball, though unintentionally, can often evoke different feeling among the fans. Such emotions include: disappointment, happiness and joy. These emotions and moods greatly influence how people relate with each other. Art is intended to influence how people feel. The artist shapes his or her work to suit the feelings that he or she wants to provoke. In baseball, on the contrary, it is during the game and its outcome that determine the feelings of an individual.
In conclusion, there exists some degree of similarity between baseball and art. Both can be used to entertain, signify some aspects of beauty, involves skill among others. However, there exist differences between art and baseball. These differences indicate that while similarities exist, the two are not the same. The similarities should not be taken to deny baseball the essence of what it truly is: a game.
Works Cited
Baseball-Reference.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
Buckley, James, and James Kelley. Baseball. New York: DK Publishing, 2010. Print.
Hill, Mary. Let's Go to a Baseball Game. New York: Children's Press, 2004. Print.
Mayer, Gina, and Mercer Mayer. Just a Baseball Game. New York: Golden Books, 2003. Print.
"USABaseball.com: The Official Site of USA Baseball: Home." usabaseball.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
