Throughout the twentieth century, baseball has played a vital role within America. Along the rocky road that was the past one hundred years in the United States, baseball served as one of the major upsides for the entire population leading up to today. America was burdened with many wars within the past century, and while conflict arose, so did what is known as today as, "America's pastime". In his article titled, "The 'Secret History' Of Baseball's Earliest Days", NPR writer John Thorn notes that the real reason that baseball became so popular within the United States was because of the money and gambling aspect. The sport began in a few major cities and quickly migrated throughout the country until it became a popular and reoccurring nationwide event. For over one hundred years baseball represented a beacon of hope and unity for and of the American people, but in very recent years, it seems as though that "America's Pastime" is actually becoming a thing of the past. Thorn also notes some major differences in today's version of baseball compared to the original, such as the creation of bigger ballparks, which may result in a different feeling that the game gives people. Maybe not enough has changed over time within the game itself, and it is beginning to become boring. This essay aims to illustrate how baseball's decline in popularity and significance within America has changed the country itself. Firstly, the assignment examines children's impact on baseball and how they are ultimately affecting the future of the game as well as the United States as a whole. Next, it closely examines the effects that other sports within America have on baseball in relation to the continuous changing of the country. Also, there are many ideas that create an argument to oppose this essay, which will allow for both sides of the argument to be clearly noted when dealing with this subject. Finally, it focuses on international involvement of baseball as well as other sports that affect how the sport is essentially dwindling in popularity and importance within America. The decline in popularity in baseball within the United States of America has changed and continues to alter America for the better because change is necessary in order to evolve, and for the people of America, change is needed. 

Children in today's world are becoming less and less interested in baseball in America, and the reasons are leading many to believe that baseball needs to change in order to hook more kids onto the sport. Although, this decline seems to be helping America realize that it is veering off the mentality that Americans once had that this country is the greatest and strongest country in the world. With this realization, many Americans will want to change baseball and bring it back to its glory days, but to do so, getting children hooked on the sport is the starting point.  Chris Beneke, writer for The Atlantic, indicates in his article that in the early days of baseball, it was simply a child's game to play. There were not any rules other than one boy would throw the ball to another who was holding a bat, and he would try to hit it. Kids from neighborhoods used to just meet up together in a park or backyard and play what they loved. It was not until adults began playing the sport and setting strict rules that the game started to become less amusing for kids. He also mentions how baseball is now viewed as a "slower moving sport", so that is definitely one of the major reasons that children are becoming less interesting in the sport. Also, videogames immediately come to mind when thinking of what kids like to do in today's world. So many kids would rather stay inside and play on their Xbox or Play Station than go outside and play catch with their dad or even friends. This is a major problem. Or is it? Videogames definitely injure children's participation in baseball because they view the sport as boring and there are many "better" games that could be played, but concerning the United States, it seems as though America is evolving into something greater, out of what it once was when baseball played a large role within society. Nothing lasts forever, and today's children may be proving that. Marc Fisher, writer for The Washington Post, references the idea that baseball's ratings are gradually decreasing. He utilizes statistics from television within his article to support his claim as well as stating that technology is also affecting how children are seeing the sport. Watching a game on television with little excitement can make children see baseball as an old and boring game that only old people watch, when in reality, they do not understand the full experience of baseball. In a YouTube video by Bloomberg Business, Matt Miller meets with young children in an active environment of watching baseball on television to discuss their opinions of baseball. Almost none of them say they are enjoying what they are watching, and it is sad to see what children view today. In the end, it seems as though technology and the aspect of children becoming more involved with other sports are causing this downfall in popularity of baseball, allowing them to pursue other opportunities, and changing the way that the United States of America functions overall. 

The roles of other sports such as football and soccer within America are having a great impression on American citizens and their views of the sport of baseball. First of all, New York Times journalist Jonathan Mahler comments in his article titled, "Is the Game Over?" that, "You can't talk about the decline of baseball without also talking about the parallel rise of the N.F.L. We're a sports-crazed culture, gorging on the all-you-can-watch buffet of ESPN, fantasy leagues and video games." As mentioned previously, videogames have become almost too big of an idea in American culture, and baseball seems like nothing compared with the National Football League. Football is a much faster paced and exciting game to many Americans, and that is what life is all about nowadays. Everybody wants to start their day, get what they have to do done, and then go home and have fun and relax. American football reflects these ideas very precisely. Mahler also notes how college baseball is barely attracting anyone within the country. It is a much less publicized sport throughout the media compared to sports such as football and basketball. Again the author reiterates how baseball is lacking in specific categories in comparison to other sports within America in dealing with expansion. Baseball has stagnated in the past few decades and not much has developed or advanced the sport in general. Recently, Major League Baseball created a rule regarding how much time a pitcher is permitted to take between each pitch in order to accelerate the game speed, but other than that, nothing really has changed. America is continuously maturing and expanding in technology and many other aspects, and baseball has not progressed with it. Parallel with Mahler's ideas and arguments is Bill Saporito who claims that soccer is the most popular and significant sport within America as of today. Usually, soccer, or football as it is known most places, is an international sport, but it has become more and more prominent within America in recent years. The author believes the because of the World Cup, Americans are getting more involved with soccer because they have a team to cheer for. When cheering for an American team that is competing against every other country around the world, it unifies people. People can come together and cheer for one the same team as everybody else. For baseball, there is no longer an international event for the sport, so people in the United States cannot come together and watch and support the country when concerning the sport of baseball. 

In contrast to evidence which presents the view that the decline in popularity of baseball is changing America for the better, an alternative perspective suggests that baseball is, in fact, not declining, but rather flourishing in America's society today. Another New York Times journalist Ira Berkow offers the perspective in his article that yes, baseball has not changed very recently whatsoever, but that does not really matter because America has not changed either. In his opinion, America has stayed the same for a while now, which is why baseball has not changed in popularity, contrary to popular belief. In the article he mentions both sides of the argument, and uses other expert opinions to support his claim. Also, the author says that baseball has been very stable for a sport that has been played for so long now, and that is one of its best features. Another reason that Berkow believes that baseball is not declining is that there is no reason for it to decline. Since America has not altered in recent years in his opinion, there should be no argumentation for why baseball is falling popularity wise. He states, "WARS couldn't stop major league baseball, the Depression couldn't stop major league baseball; it seems the only thing that could is major league baseball itself." Jay Asser, writer for Sport 360 also maintains the idea that baseball is actually blossoming and expanding rather than diminishing. He argues that Major League Baseball is actively promoting improvement of the sport, so that it can continue to flourish as it always has. Baseball ratings within all of America may not be as high as a few other sports, but attendance levels are as high as ever in ballparks throughout the country. The author uses many statistics and graphs to prove the baseball is at a high level of popularity and attendance, making him very credible. Asser interviewed a man named John Fekete who was quoted as saying, 

I bet if you talked to someone in the 70s, they would say 'oh, it's not like it was in the 50s' and then if you talk to someone in the 50s and they'd say 'oh, it's not like it was when Babe Ruth was around'. If you talk to my kids, they'll say the mid-2000s was the golden age of baseball. I think it's just like music. It's all relative. 

People today may not believe that baseball is as popular as it once what but it just depends on the age of the person. A teenager could think that baseball is the best sport in the world today, but an elderly man or woman may not see the same thing because they experience baseball in America many years ago when it may have been more popular.

Not only has baseball within America greatly impacted the country, but also the sport has gained a large presence internationally. Along with baseball, other internationally played sports are affecting how Americans view the sport of baseball as well as the United States itself. In his article, "Pastime Or Waste Of Time", Dain TePoel talks poorly about the World Baseball Classic that occurred in 2006. He claims that the World Baseball Classic is essentially very pointless event because first of all, baseball was created within the United States, and therefore few other countries have closely adapted and grasped the sport that has been played for over a century in the United States. It is basically a game between various players in Major League Baseball who have come to America to play baseball. The author continually reiterates that there were so many risks to holding this event. The commissioner of baseball Bud Selig hyped it up to be something that it clearly was not. He says that there were huge financial risks at stake because the World Baseball Classic could be a hit or miss situation for both players and fans across the world. The media was also critical of the entire occasion. The World Baseball Classic wanted to unite America with other countries in another aspect and another sport, but instead America continues to move away from baseball and progress toward greater things. Brook Larmer, a writer for Newsweek also provokes the idea that playing baseball internationally is affecting America in both good and bad ways. There is so much more participation from Latin American citizens in their own countries as well as in Major League Baseball in North America. The author also notes that there is a large competition for players in Latin American countries to make it to the Majors. He states, "Of the 6,973 baseball players currently under contract, 36 percent are foreign." There are only around five hundred players from North America contracted in the MLB and that is very interesting to see. Lastly, baseball used to be a solely American played sport, but players from outside of the country are gradually dominating it. This again demonstrates how America is advancing in technology and other sports, but is now being controlled internationally player-wise. 

Clearly, this essay has shown that the main factors which impact upon how baseball is altering America for the better of the country are children's effects on baseball and what other sports are doing within America as well as internationally that contribute to this idea. Through many examples, it seems as though baseball has started to succumb to other sports like football within the United States. America has traditionally been one of the top countries in the world when it comes to producing goods and services, wars, sports and much morel; baseball is one of those historic pastimes that a person thinks of when they look back in America's history, and the sport is dwindling in popularity and significance. This decline is allowing America to see that it has to let some things go and simply accelerate in every aspect as it always has. Baseball was once the beacon of America, and it is time for this great country to find a new heart, as sad as that may be.

