Dedicated in 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, in downtown Cooperstown, has grown to include a library and
research facility as well as a museum. Each year, the pantheon of baseball greats increases with the induction of players into the Hall of Fame.
rules—allegedly set by Doubleday and similar to those we know today—that led the commission to claim this event as the invention of baseball. After years of considerably more research, it was discovered that Doubleday was a cadet at West Point at the time of the alleged game and that his family no longer lived in Cooperstown in 1839. Other docu- ments and evidence have since debunked the “Doubleday Myth” even further. However, putting aside whether or not Doubleday invented the game and where the game was
developed, Cooperstown re- mains an essential part of baseball culture. And to many of the town’s visitors, the Na- tional Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a sort of mecca. Sports fans are passionate about their games, and few games have as universal an appeal as baseball. Even in this day of superfast technol- ogy, shortening attention spans, and record-breaking athletics, the relatively lei- surely pace of a game of base- ball is still beloved by many. Perhaps this is because base- ball is a game that can be (and is) played and enjoyed by
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Baseball fans can look for their favorite players’ memorabilia, complete with photographs, in exhibits at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum.
T H E E L K S M A G A Z I N E 47
people of all ages and backgrounds, a game that can be improvised on a corner lot without much expensive equipment. The baseball game, whether it is a small-town Little League challenge or nine innings played by the pros in one of our country’s historic major league ballparks, is the perfect venue for a first date, a family outing, or a gathering of work friends alike. Numerous minor league teams have renovated and rebuilt their ballparks and are enjoying an increase in their ticket sales and fan bases, a tribute to
the continued popularity of the game. And baseball fans are some of the most loyal sports fans, whether their teams win or lose.
Guests who enter the museum’s rooms called the Babe Ruth Room, on the second floor, or the Hank Aaron Room: Chasing the Dream, on the third floor, find themselves sur- rounded by others moving slowly past the displays, reading every word posted, studying uniforms and letters and baseball paraphernalia in a sort of hushed awe. Ruth and Aaron are American icons. What athletic little
PHOTO:
THISISCOOPERSTOWN.COM
PHOTO: PHILIP HARTIGAN
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