Students can find materials related to the early history of the sport. Search on baseball 1860-1870 to find images of the early days of the game, including this poster of the Cincinnati Red Stockings from the year they became a professional team. Students might also look at Baseball Beginnings , a section of the Early Baseball Pictures, 1860s-1920s Special Presentation. By the turn of the century, the culmination of a baseball season was the competition to see which team was the best in the country - the World Series. Many Americans flocked to see the games, standing in line for tickets and selling out stadiums, just as they do today.
Students can find pictures of baseball fans by searching on spectators and World Series .
You might discuss these issues with your class. Search on Jackie Robinson to find other items related to the famous ballplayer throughout his career. Once Robinson retired from baseball after the 1956 baseball season, he became more publicly active in the civil rights movement. Students can read the text of Robinson's interview on the Meet the Press television program. Students can further explore Robinson's later career and his involvement in the civil rights movement in the last section of the Special Presentation Baseball, the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson .