In fact, the baseball was a popular sport from the early 30s and 40s in the US, although it did not attract the majority of Americans. WWII turned Americans attention to the sport since it was frequently practiced game among soldiers during the war.
In this paper, it is argued that the baseball was a partly ”modern” sport by 1860 s' according to the criterion of sport’s expert Melvin Adelman . Yet, before laying out the arguments, it is necessary to define what Adelman meant by the term "modern" while referring it to sports. Hence, the modern sport shall consist of six major aspects, namely: it must be well organized and rule-based; competition shall take place locally and with an ambition to introduce the international dimension; there must be a clear division between players and onlookers. Importantly, modern sport shall have its competent specialists. Certainly, the media coverage is a must asset for a modern sport. Media broadcasting further should be expressed in special sports periodicals about baseball. Ultimately, there must be statistics and records of the games (Adelman 6).
"The modernization of sport entails the movement of the activity in the direction of the modern ideal type"" (Adelman 5). In fact, this process usually, but not always, is characterized by the transformation in the playing field from an open to a close one, by the attendance of the growing number of onlookers and lastly, and perhaps, most importantly, commercialization of the sport must be in place" (Adelman 5).
In the New-York Times in 1858 there was already mentioned the statistics meeting one criterion of the Adelman. Besides, it showed the competence of the reporter as the article shared very detailed and advanced information about the baseball that further can be seen as part of the criterion of Adelman. Moreover, the sports journal "Our National Sports" published in 1857 reconfirmed Adelman's definition of the "modern" sport, indicating the rise of specialized press covering the news about the baseball. Importantly, during the convention of baseball clubs was discussed to set a committee of five to prepare the code of law, which should have been authoritative in the game. Once the code of law was drafted, then it was submitted to the authorities in order to receive permission for having separate space for baseball matches. These findings suggest thinking, that by 1857, baseball as a very popular sport was going to become a national sport that later it became (Our National Sports 603).
Another indication of the popularity of the sport is mentioned in the earlier release of the newspaper (1854) "the New-York baseball clubs" stating that there were three systematically organized clubs in the city who meet regularly during the playing season. This further confirms the assumption that even by 1854 the baseball was quickly becoming a professional sport and some formal aspects were left to be in force (The New-York Baseball Clubs 534).
Conclusion
Most importantly, the National Association of Baseball Players was formed in 1858. Finally, New-York-Brykloon All-Star match was held in 1858. In 1858 was released the manual of the rules and regulations of cricket and baseball meeting second criteria of Adelman further proving the fact, that baseball by 1860s was already established sport with a set of rules and regulations and regular matches. Besides, the medias' coverage of the matches contributed to the emergence of the specialized reporters about baseball. The only aspect that was missing from Adelman's criterion was an international aspect, and otherwise by definition baseball was "modern" to a greater degree.
Works cited
Adelman, Melvin. “The First Modern Sport in America: harness racing in New York city, 1825-1870.” 1981. Journal of Sport History. Print
Our National Sports. “Spirit. Spirit of the Times”. 1857. American Periodicals. Print
The New-York baseball clubs. 1854. American Periodicals. Print
