Baseball Matters

Today, March 30th, is Major League Baseball Opening Day.

The initial baseball league was founded in the 1860s by a group of soldiers who played the game during the Civil War. It expanded into a national tournament and established the “National Association of Baseball Players” (NABBP).

In 1867, after Cincinnati Red Stockings was established as the first professional team, the NABBP split into amateur groups and the national league of professional baseball clubs. The first game in National League was on April 22, 1867, marking the beginning of Major League Baseball (MLB).

As baseball expanded throughout the 1960s to 1970s, many cities built multipurpose stadiums to accommodate the surging population of MLB and NFL fans. The popularity of these sports made a perfect reason for planners to include sports fields in their overall site plans.

Baseball also helps to train hand-eye coordination; swinging, catching, and running on the field could develop muscles in the arms and legs. The intensity level of this sport increase burning calories and prevents heart-vascular disease, which makes perfect sense to be included as part of the community’s amenity.

Nevertheless, three years ago at Nationals Park, Dr. Fauci threw the ceremonial first pitch on baseball’s opening day. While his pitch wasn’t perfect, it marked a critical milestone in predicting the reopening.

Reading baseball’s fascinating history and health benefits reminded me of a WELL feature.

“At a community scale, active design considers the ways in which communities can encourage populations to be active through public infrastructure, such as cycle lanes and green space. “
- WELL V01 Active Buildings and Communities

On this momentous day, we frame this card by the window. May the WELL standard be our go-to-guides when we help design a healthy community next time.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

By the way…

the exact day of Dr. Fauci’s first pitch was on 7.23.2020. He threw out the first pitch prior to the game between the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

If you like this topic, you might want to check out our updated [Place]scorebook to learn more out our places. And make them a better place.