Every sport begins somewhere, and the same holds true for baseball. Renowned as America’s pastime, this sport’s history centers largely within the U.S., and even over a century later, the heart of baseball continues to beat with uproarious fervor, now not just in its home nation, but across the globe. Today, America’s claim to the treasured sport is irrefutable, but even so, how does the history of baseball carry weight in the United States? The intimate relationship of the sport with the American people is strengthened firsthand by the community’s enjoyment and commitment to the special sport over the years; however, baseball’s history in the U.S. also lives through the sport’s material claim to the Earth! Perhaps the largest of such “relics” which stake and sustain the legacy of baseball are the parks in which the timeless sport is played.
What is the Oldest Baseball Stadium/Ballpark in the United States?
Much like the origin background of baseball itself, it would be pretty difficult to fish out the true story regarding the first baseball field in the United States. Isolating the oldest ballpark in the U.S. is also complicated by where the ‘line of recognition’ is drawn; a small dirt field with barely any semblance to a baseball stadium could not possibly be considered the first real baseball park in America, could it? Where is the line that separates old, amateur ballfields and the big-league professionals?
The Oldest Surviving Professional Ballpark in the United States is…
The oldest Major-League Baseball field, which is still in use today, is certainly an excellent choice for recognition. This prestigious title is held by none other than Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and based in the heart of Massachusetts. Constructed in 1912, Fenway Park is over 100 years old today, and has seen hundreds of Red Sox players guard its field with passion across the history of its existence. The seating capacity of this field was 35,000 when it first opened (as of 2015, this number has expanded to approximately 37,000) and it boasts several notable features, such as the towering, green left-field wall known as The Monster. In May of 1999, Red Sox CEO John Harrington proposed the construction of a brand-new baseball park nearby the original Fenway Park, which would assume the role and title of its predecessor, but more modernized and replicative. The idea fell through when it sparked conflict between multiple parties involved in the decision, including a hefty majority of the Red Sox community (among whom the proposal was decidedly not popular). In 2005, plans to rebuild Fenway as a new park were formally discarded and the existing field was updated. Fenway Park is presently intended to serve as a playing field in Major League Baseball for several more decades.
Despite Fenway Park’s prestige as a 100+ year old MLB field, there is something inexplicable about it that makes it less-entrenched in the commercialism of sports – a turn the industry has taken over the past century – and more concentrated on the love, passion and enjoyment of sharing America’s pastime. Perhaps it is the generations born into this park and team, or maybe it is just age. Suffice it to say, however, that Fenway is a centerpiece in the legacy of its sport and will continue to play a role in American baseball throughout the 21st Century.