Kaden Zaidi Mrs. Cowells English 9 1st April 2024 The great history of baseball bats When you think of all of the great inventions in the world today, from the car, to trains, to planes and the personal computers we are able to carry in our pockets today, it’s easy to look past the inventions that brought us the sports we love so much today. There are many aspects to inventing a sport, from the surface you play on, to the rules of the game, but the common denominator that embodies a sport is the objects in which you use to play it. Whether it be a football, basketball, golf club or my personal favorite, the baseball bat. Without sports and the objects in which they are used to play, there wouldn’t seemingly be enough healthy outlets to get…show more content… This paper will focus on the invention of the baseball bat and its evolution, along with the health benefits of playing sports. Plenty of people think of the origin of baseball bats and think of the Spalding Louisville slugger. The greats, the things they saw in their days, but what about the inventor of the baseball bat itself? Introducing John Hillerich and William A. Shroyer, the men credited with inventing both the wooden and metal baseball bats used by so many today. Hillerich was employed in his father’s wood working factory and made the first technological advancement in 1884 to manufacture a bat from white ash, which is known as a very strong and durable wood. This new bat, known as the Louisville Slugger, was viewed to be really well crafted and became a highly sought after piece of equipment in the game of baseball. What made Hillerich uniquely qualified was his aspiration to play baseball professionally. His experience in playing gave him credibility in designing a bat that would be well received by both professionals and amateurs. Schroyer, on the other hand, was a man from Dayton, Ohio, and a former professional baseball…show more content… Being able to work in a team setting where you must trust one another to do your role within the context of the team is a life skill that you don’t get in much of the modern day technology that we use today. Learning patience while having to wait for the “right pitch” before taking a swing or learning perseverance and resilience when swinging at the “wrong pitch”. These are all mental benefits that shape who we are and what we become in life. Needless to say, the innovation of the baseball bat and the benefits we continue to see from these innovations over 100 years later is a testament to the great inventors. This isn’t to say that baseball is the only sport in which you can achieve the physical and mental benefits mentioned, but it speaks to the importance of innovation in areas that improve people’s lives. We continue to see new innovations and modifications that could lead to the next 100 years of healthier lives for people. From field hockey to pickle ball to frisbee golf, these are all inventions that promote healthier lifestyles & in a day in age where the power of distraction from our electronic devices is hard to resist, I’m all for
