History of Sports Management

History of Sports Management

History of Sport Management
**Please describe in your own words the history of Harness Racing and the history of the first League in Baseball.
Harness racing is the sport of the common man. Since, most people in the 1820’ss used horse and buggy to get around they felt they could identify with it. With the fact that any breed could race and it was fairly cheap. At the start they held races in the streets, but later they were moved to the thoroughbred tracks.
The average working men were attracted to the sport and the wealthy stuck with thoroughbreds racing even though a lot of those races were fixed. Harness racing didn’t have the drama of thoroughbred racing and it was easier to watch. The races were much shorter which meant the horses could recover much faster. Also, they could hold many more races. By having more races there would be more gambling and who doesn’t love that. When there is money involved in the races the problem of race fixing comes into play. Either that or the start of the Civil War leads to harness racing losing its luster.
A sport that garnered such popularity wouldn’t go unnoticed. Western sports enthusiasts would adopt its league structure and apply it to a sport that was gaining fame on its own. Baseball! This was a profit oriented sport that at first used clubs. They weren’t organized and only competed against their equal. Only the best teams could keep fans interested. The Cincinnati Red stockings were all pro team and their eastern road trips drew enough fans to play for their travel and salaries. So all in all most of the sports we enjoy today as Americans were brought about from harness racing.
I could only imagine how things would be today if they had not taken the structure and organization used in the harness racing. This of us that enjoy cheering on our favorite teams could only wonder if that would even be possible without harness racing and baseball. The leagues we know today have grown into...

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