Using baseball to teach history!
Ok, a topic that I actually have a very good understanding of, baseball. My husband lives for baseball; therefore I am along for the ride. I read a fiction book recently where the author compared baseball to life. Therefore, I can definitely see how I could incorporate baseball into history.
I thought it very interesting when Dr. Finkelman talked about how he felt there were three major things that led to desegregation and one of them was the great sport of baseball. I can totally understand his reasoning for this.
Baseball integrated in 1947. At this time baseball was the only national sport. It was the first televised sport. People love their baseball teams, usually no matter if there is one player that they do not like. For example, I have always been a die-hard Yankees fan. In fact we inherited a lab puppy a few weeks ago and her name is Yankee. (Luckily I married a big Yankees fan also.) Now, at the beginning of the season this year the Yankees traded for Randy Johnson, a player that I have never cared for. I can assure you that every time that I would watch a game in the past I would vocalize to my husband that I really didn’t like him. Now, while I still vocalize that I don’t really like him, it does not mean that I like my team any less, and since he is playing on my favorite team, I like him more and more.
Most of my students love baseball too. We talk about it often in my classroom. I know that they would love learning about Jackie Robison and his huge impact on baseball and integration. In fact, there is a great picture book out that is the biography of Jackie Robison that I have used in my classroom in the past.
While integration can be taught with baseball you could also talk about the women’s league that started up while the men were fighting in WWII. This would show the kids the impact that women had on this time period.
Baseball has just kind of gone with history always molded itself around what is going on in the world today. For example, after 9/11 there is now the singing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch at Yankee Stadium. I am excited to read Dr. Finkelman’s law review about relating baseball to history!
I thought it very interesting when Dr. Finkelman talked about how he felt there were three major things that led to desegregation and one of them was the great sport of baseball. I can totally understand his reasoning for this.
Baseball integrated in 1947. At this time baseball was the only national sport. It was the first televised sport. People love their baseball teams, usually no matter if there is one player that they do not like. For example, I have always been a die-hard Yankees fan. In fact we inherited a lab puppy a few weeks ago and her name is Yankee. (Luckily I married a big Yankees fan also.) Now, at the beginning of the season this year the Yankees traded for Randy Johnson, a player that I have never cared for. I can assure you that every time that I would watch a game in the past I would vocalize to my husband that I really didn’t like him. Now, while I still vocalize that I don’t really like him, it does not mean that I like my team any less, and since he is playing on my favorite team, I like him more and more.
Most of my students love baseball too. We talk about it often in my classroom. I know that they would love learning about Jackie Robison and his huge impact on baseball and integration. In fact, there is a great picture book out that is the biography of Jackie Robison that I have used in my classroom in the past.
While integration can be taught with baseball you could also talk about the women’s league that started up while the men were fighting in WWII. This would show the kids the impact that women had on this time period.
Baseball has just kind of gone with history always molded itself around what is going on in the world today. For example, after 9/11 there is now the singing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch at Yankee Stadium. I am excited to read Dr. Finkelman’s law review about relating baseball to history!
posted by eduka2b | 5:34 AM
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