As I sit here watching the refs decide the outcome of the Super Bowl, it occurs to me that it might be fun for
you to do some research about the history of sports franchises in the US. So
here's your assignment: research and report the history of a current day
professional sports team of your choice. When was the team founded? What major
changes have taken place since the team's inception? What have been the
highlights of the franchise's history, and who stands out as the biggest
star/stars? Hmm, and two bonus points on the next test if you let me know
privately which major league baseball team used to take spring training in
Kentucky!
Some of today's teams have been around for more than one
hundred years but have seen notable changes. For instance, did you know that the
Atlanta Braves were once called the Boston Beaneaters? Or that the New York
Yankees were once known as the Baltimore Orioles? Or that the LA Dodgers were
originally known as the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers? (That name actually makes
sense, though, unlike another name they used for nearly a decade - the Brooklyn
Bridegrooms, which I guess you could think of as "the unsuccessful dodgers"...).
A good place to start researching Major Leage Baseball teams would be
Baseball Almanac . If you aren't interested in
baseball, how about football? Did you know that the oldest professional football
team is the Arizona Cardinals - who began in 1898 as the Racine Street
Cardinals? They also won the first National Football League championship in 1925
- against the Pottsville Maroons. You can start looking for information at the
link NFL Team History . Professional
basketball hasn't been around as long but you can start looking for information
at NBA History .
In
addition to discussing the team's history, please share your opinion about why
people are such sports fans. Are you a sports fan? Why or why not? Happy
hunting! Remember that you must meet all homework requirements - and that NO
POINTS WILL BE AWARDED FOR PLAGIARIZED WORK!
For this week’s assignment, I chose to write about my favorite professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds. The original Reds were founded in 1869, and they were named the Cincinnati Red Stockings instead of the Reds… (I find that name quite comical.) Pete Rose was probably the best player that ever played for the Reds, in my opinion. He had the most career hits- 4,256. I visited the Reds Hall of Fame at the Great American Ballpark this summer. They actually have a baseball for every hit Pete Rose had in a glass wall. It’s pretty neat. Another great player is George Foster. He played for the Reds in 1977 and got 52 homeruns in one year! The record still hasn’t been broken. The Reds have also won the world series five times: 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, and 1990. I love playing sports, but if you cannot play them, watching them is the next best thing. My favorite sport to watch since I was little has always been gymnastics. It’s so amazing to see how people can perform crazy flips like that. Since there is no professional team, I always look forward to the summer Olympics to watch it. I enjoy watching baseball as well. This is just my second year playing softball, and I learn so much just by watching a baseball game. I’ve learned that in softball, you cannot just be athletic; you must be a smart player as well. I’ve also enjoyed watching Kentucky basketball ever since I could remember. Sports are a great way for my family and me to enjoy quality time together. Whether its them coming to my games, going to a professional game, or just sitting around the TV watching, I love being in a family that loves sports.
ReplyDeletegood essay Lexie! I didn;t know the Cincinnati Reds used to be stocking1
DeleteGreat work on your assignment, Lexie! I enjoyed reading your essay because the Cincinnati Reds is my favorite professional baseball team as well. I did not know that George Foster had such an enormous amount of homeruns in a single year or that Pete Rose had 4,256 hits in his career! Not only is that talented, but it also shows that those guys put a lot of hard work and effort into their sports careers so that they could play to the best of their abilities. Good job!
DeleteFor this week’s assignment, I’ve chosen to write about one of my favorite baseball teams, the New York Yankees! This particular team was originally founded in 1903 as the New York Highlanders , and they were owned by a couple of New York bartenders who gave about 18,000 dollars to buy the franchise and bring it to New York. For their beginning years (18) as the Highlanders their star pitcher, Jack Chesbro had set a record with having 41 victories and completing a total of 48 games. They became the Yankees in 1913. Many great players had come and gone such as Hal Chase, Frank Baker, and Roger Peckinbaugh. All of it changed in 1920. The Yankees completed the famous deal to buy Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, but actually he brought several of his very talented teammates with him. A dynasty was formed when babe ruth came into the picture. In the mid-decade the team added a strapping young first baseman, Lou Gehrig to push the Yankees forward. The won many world series, but they finally lost in 1960. Coming closer to our present time in baseball history, the latest dynasty would e from 1995 to 2010and included appearances every season except 2008 and then 5 more world championship trophies were added to their case. You may love them or hate them because of some of their free spending ways, but the Yankees were the picture of success for baseball and any sports in the 20th century and they are off to an amazing start to the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteSince this week's homework assignment is sports related, I chose to report about my favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees. This team is a part of the eastern division American League. It was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1901. However, they were not yet called the Yankees at this time. The team was named the Baltimore Orioles. In 1903, the team then moved to New York and took on the name of the New York Highlanders. It wasn't until 1913 that the franchise was named the New York Yankees.
ReplyDeleteSince the franchise was started, the Yankees have won 18 division titles, 40 American League pennants, and 27 World Series Championships. 44 players from this team have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. One of these that would probably have to be the most memorable and talented players from the Yankees would have to be Babe Ruth. He spent 22 whole seasons in Major League Baseball. In his baseball career, he had 714 home runs, 2213 RBI's, and a total of 2873 hits. He helped the Yankees win 4 of their World Series titles. In many opinions, he is known as the best baseball player of all time.
I personally am a sports fan. My family has always been a huge fan of baseball. We have also always been die-hard Yankees fans. Each year, we travel to Tampa, Florida, for spring training. It's always a great experience to spend time with my family while watching our favorite sports team.
Wow I had no idea Babe Ruth had played baseball for as long as he did! Good essay McKenzie!
DeleteGood essay, McKenzie. I had no idea that the Yankees started in Baltimore.
DeleteFor this assignment I chose to write about my favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves. The Braves were one of the first eight teams found in the National League when it began in 1876. The Braves moved to several different cities and went through several names before they were officially known as the Atlanta Braves.
ReplyDeleteThe Braves started out in Boston. On July 6, 1914 the Braves were in last place, but then out of nowhere they began winning and even made it to the World Series that year. This was considered one of the best known comeback stories in the history of baseball. After that they went on to be a standard team until 1948 when they went back to the World Series where they lost to the Cleveland Indians. The team then started to lose more money and fans so they decided to move to Milwaukee to get away from the Boston Red Sox. The team started out awesome here and went to the World Series twice where they won their second title and the following year they lost to the Yankees. Like in Boston, they started to lose money and fans so the management wanted to move the Braves to a place that would appreciate them more. They chose to move to Atlanta where they have been ever since. One of the most memorable players from the Braves would be Hank Aaron. He passed up Babe Ruth’s home run record with 755 career home runs, and held the record until 2007.
I would say I am a sports fan, depending on the sport. Baseball has always been something my family has always been really into. When I was little every trip we went on consisted of baseball. It became one of my favorite sports to watch and it’s something I still love to watch today.
Good Essay, Summer. I really learned a lot about the Braves from your essay. I had never heard the story of how the Braves went from last place to winning the World Series. Good job!
DeleteFor this week’s assignment, I chose to write on the recent Super Bowl XLVII champions, the Baltimore Ravens. The Baltimore Ravens were first founded in 1996, when the Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell wanted to relocate his football team to Baltimore. This caused somewhat of a controversy, and the team was split. The Cleveland Browns remained in Cleveland while Modell’s “extension” team went to Baltimore. The team name, the Baltimore Ravens, is in homage to former Baltimore, Maryland resident Edgar Allan Poe’s poem,” The Raven.” According to http://www.nflteamhistory.com/Ravens , the naming process was first narrowed down to six names by two hundred people in the area, then the name the Baltimore Ravens was subsequently chosen by surveying one thousand people by telephone. Since becoming a team ,only seventeen years old, the Baltimore Ravens have made the playoffs nine times, have had two AFC titles, have had four AFC North Division titles, and have won two Super Bowl championships including this year’s. The Baltimore Ravens are also considered the 18th most valuable sports franchise in the world. The Baltimore Ravens have had only three head coaches in their short history, with the franchise’s current head coach being John Harbaugh. Perhaps one of the most famous Baltimore Ravens players is offensive tackle, Michael Oher. Michael Oher’s story from being homeless to a professional football player was documented in the acclaimed book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis and then again the Academy Award Nominee film, The Blind Side. Overall, the Baltimore Ravens have a pretty good future ahead of them.
ReplyDeleteFor this week`s assignment I am going to talk about a baseball team, The Boston Red Sox.
ReplyDeleteThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball's American League Eastern Division. It was founded in 1901 as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912.
Boston was a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by 1918. However, they then went into one of the longest championship droughts in baseball history, called by some the "Curse of the Bambino" after its alleged beginning with the Red Sox's sale of Babe Ruth to the rival Yankees two years after their world championship in 1918, an 86-year wait before the team's sixth World Championship in 2004. However, the team's history during that period was hardly one of futility, but was rather punctuated with some of the most memorable moments in World Series history.
The Boston Red Sox are owned by Fenway Sports Group, who also own Liverpool Football Club of the Premier League in England. The Red Sox are consistently one of the top MLB teams in average road attendance, while the small capacity of Fenway Park prevents them from leading in overall attendance. Every home game since May 15, 2003 has been sold out—a MLB record that has spanned almost nine years.
Now a day’s people care a lot for sports and, in my opinion, the reason for that is that most of them enjoy a competition, and that is one of the things sports are all about, to compete against each other and try to be the best out there. However I am not a really sports fan, even though I like to watch football games sometimes I do not have the feelings that would make me watch every time or get mad when my team loses. I just don`t care to much about this.
Good essay, Eduardo. The Red Sox definitely do have an interesting history. your essay was well written and told the story of the Red Sox very well. Good job!
DeleteThe team I am doing my essay on is the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cincinnati Bengals are obviously located in Cincinnati, OH. They are members of the Northern Division of football association. They are currently coached by Marvin Lewis. The team was founded in 1966.Out of all the years that has gone by, they only have had one mascot who a Bengal tiger is named Who Dey. In the years also, the team has had three coaches of the year, they are as following: Paul Brown (1969), Paul Brown (again, 1970), and Marvin Lewis (2009). One thing that sticks out in my mind is their “No-Huddle Offense.” This tactic in football is used when time is low. An overview of this play, is that the team would come together and figure out a play or how they were going to play in the last five to ten seconds of the game. Because this team is obviously professional, the Cincinnati Bengals have to hall of football famers. The two famers would be Anthony Munoz and Charlie Joiner. Also, the Bengals have a reputation of having four rookies of the year. The four rookies of the year are, Paul Robinson in 1968, Greg Cook in 1969, Eddie Brown in 1985, and Carl Pickens in 1992. To end this essay, I thought I would end it with a timeline of the coaches for the Bengals. Paul Brown (1968-1975), Bill Johnson(1976-1978), Homer Rice (1978-1979), Forrest Gregg (1980- 1983) Sam Wyche (1984-1991), Dave Shula( 1992-1996), Bruce Coslet (1996-2000), Dick LeBeau (2000-2002), and Marvin Lewis (2003-present).
ReplyDeleteNice essay Bethany! I also like the Cincinnati Bengals football team as well. I had no idea that they had had so many coaches though. It’s neat that unlike most teams, the Bengals don’t even have to huddle to know what to do when the clock is ticking down and the game is reaching the end. That is pretty impressive. Anyway, nice work on your assignment this week it was very factual and well written.
DeleteThe Chicago Bulls are a really great basketball team. The team was founded in 1966 and is in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association. The Bulls founder, Dick Klein, was the only owner of the team to have ever played professional basketball (for the Chicago Gears). The Bulls have won an incredible six national championships won in eight years. Fantastic players have led the Chicago Bulls to become the award-winning team they are. Famous players such as Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen and Coach Phil Jackson led the Bulls to the championships. Michael Jordan performed so well that the years 1984-1998 are still known as the “Michael Jordan era”.
ReplyDeleteDuring the 1995-96 NBA season the Chicago Bulls won an NBA record 72 games. They are the only team in NBA history to win 70 games in a single season. Because they were so successful, the popularity of NBA basketball spread around the world. The most watched championship series in NBA history was the 1998 NBA finals. This was the Chicago Bulls most recent championship appearance. The only other teams winning more NBA championships were the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
My family really likes the sport of basketball. Everyone in our family (except my mom) has played basketball on teams. My Dad, brothers and I have played for school teams, church teams and community league teams. Our family also has season tickets to University of Kentucky Basketball games and we love to go. Basketball is a way of life in Kentucky and also in our family.
I am not very familiar with sports teams so I am not sure who is good or not, but I have decided to write my essay on the Boston Red Sox. Ban Johnson, the leader of the Minor Western League, in 1901, acclaimed that they were equal to the National League, the only major league of the time. The Minor Western League was changed to the American League. The teams of the league became unofficially known as the "Americans." The league placed a franchise in Boston in 1903, here the Boston Red Sox got their start. In 1903, Boston got to play in the first modern World Series and the "Americans" won. In 1914 the Red Sox got the famous player Babe Ruth. Over the years the Boston Red Sox have developed from just a Boston franchise to a valued team. I think people are sports fans because as people we love to be passionate about our ideas. Sports also brings people together, or are good conversation fillers. Fans also love sports because of its entertainment value. I am not a sports fan because I didn't grow up in a sports home, but I have nothing personally against it. The Boston Red Sox is a very interesting team to read about and I'm surprised how long they have been a team. In conclusion, the Boston Red Sox are a Major League baseball team with a long and interesting history with famous players like Babe Ruth.
ReplyDeleteI decided to write essay this week about the St.Louis Cardinals. The St.Louis cardinals joined the Major Leagues in 1891 as the Brown Stockings. One change that has occurred over the years regarding the St.Louis Cardinals is the change that also resulted in their name sake; in 1900 they changed their uniform color from brown to scarlet earning the the nick name of “cardinals”. One of the most influential changes that occurred was in 1925 when manager Branch Rickey moved to the front office and established a deeply rooted farm system. Some of their crowning achievements though are their eighteen pennants (most in the senior circuit), eleven world championships, ten division titles and thirty seven Hall of Famers. Some of their most well known and best players have been men like Rogers Hornsby, Frankie Frisch, Pepper Martin, Leo Durocher, Joe Medwick, and Dizzy and Daffy Dean.
ReplyDeleteBethany Cox- I really loved your essay for this week’s assignment! I think it’s really interesting how the Cincinnati Bengals use the “no-huddle offense.” I think it’s also really cool how many rookies of the year, hall of famers, and head coaches the Bengals have had over the years. Overall, I thought your essay was well written as usual. Great job!
ReplyDeleteLydia Ramsey- I also really enjoyed your essay for this week’s assignment. I agree with you about not being very sports oriented, but it was interesting and educational to read about the professional baseball team Boston Red Sox. I had no idea that Babe Ruth played for them in 1914,and like you said, I had no idea that then team had been around for so long. I also agree with you about how sports brings people together. Overall, your essay was concise, factual, and very easy and interesting to read. Great job!
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ReplyDeleteFor my assignment I decided to write about the Los Angeles Dodgers. The reason I chose to write about the Dodgers because they are from my home state of California, and because they have a very interesting history. The Dodger started out in the minor leagues playing under names like The Bridegrooms, The Brooks, and the Atlantics. In the year 1890 they joined the National League. From 1890 until 1898 the team was known as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. In the early 1900s, theDodgers owner/manager wanted to move the team to Baltimore, but a man named Charles Ebbets bought the team to keep them in Brooklyn and built a new ballpark, Ebbets Field. In 1947 The Dodger signed Jackie Robinson, the first African American player to play Major League Baseball. By 1957, because the team had out-grown Ebbets Field and Owner Walter O’ Mally could not get the city to build him a new stadium in the Brooklyn area, the team moved to Los Angeles, California. When the Dodgers arrived in LA in 1958, the team played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until Dodger Stadium was finished in 1962. When built, Dodger Stadium was a 56,000 seat, state-of-the-art, modern baseball-only stadium.
ReplyDeleteDuring their early years in LA the team began to develop an excellent pitching staff led by Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. During this time, The Dodgers won three World Series titles; 1959, 1963, 1965. Throughout the 1970’s, the Dodgers were led by superb infield consisting of Steve Garvey, Dave Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey. In the 80’s, the team was led by outstanding pitcher Orel Hershiser. In 1988, under Hershiser, the team won the World Series once again. Since then, the Dodger’s success has somewhat died down. Despite that, the Dodgers are still a team rich in history and tradition. The team is also home to many baseball firsts: the first televised game in 1939, the first team to use batting helmets, the first team to sign an African American player, and the first team to move out west.
In my opinion, people are sports fans because we are competitive and we like to watch people compete and chose a side we want to win. I guess I am a sports fan because I was raised watching football and baseball. Because I spent the first seven years of my life in Southern California, I tend to favor California teams such as the Padres, the Dodgers, and the Chargers.
I’m not much of a sports person, so I randomly chose the Chicago Cubs. It has been more than one-hundred since they have played at a World Championship. Their last World Series appearance was over half a century. They were formed less than a decade after the Civil War in 1874. They started off as an amateur team but soon joined the National League. On April 25, 1876 they played their first professional game. They defeated the Louisville Greys 4-0. During this they were known as the White Stockings. Hall of Fame “Cap Anson” was the star player. He played in Chicago for twenty-two years, accumulating three thousand hits. In 1897 they replaced Anson with Frank Chance, and changed their name to the Cubs. Frank was considered the best first baseman of his time. He led the Cubs to one of the greatest seasons of all time. In 1906 the team had won one-hundred sixteen games. Even though this created a record, they lost the World Series. In 1907 and 1908, The Cubs won both of the World Series during this time. In 1921 the Cubs got a new owner, Phillip Wrigley. In 1929 they began to win the pennant every three years. But one again during this time they lost all of the World Series. When Dallas Green joined in 1984, the Cubs made it to the National Leagues. They lost to the Padres in five games, although they won the first two. To this day they still have only won sixteen pennants and two World Series.
ReplyDeleteI’m not the biggest sports fan, but occasionally I will watch basketball.
Great job on your essay, Bethany! It was full of information and written quite well. I am not sure what to comment on since I don't watch sports, but your essay seemed put together quite well including dates and so forth. Again, great job on your essay.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your essay, Rebecca! As always, you have written an excellent essay. By reading your essay I can tell that you actually know a thing or two about sports, unlike me. Again, great job on your essay!
Great job on your essay, Amanda! I also did my essay on a baseball team, but as you can probably tell I don't know much since I am not a sports person. Your essay is full of great information and detail. By reading this essay I would say that you know a little bit more than I do on the subject. Again, great job!
Great job on your essay, Patricia! I am also not a big sports person. Even though you had to randomly choose, like I had to, you did a really good job reporting back the information on the subject! Again, great job.
For this assignment I have chosen to do my favorite NBA team the Washington wizards. Although they have been in a slump as of the recent years they have a rich history. Founded in 1961 the original name for this team was the Chicago packers. This name didn’t stick for long as after just two years it was changed to the zephyrs. This name too lasted only two years until the team was moved to Baltimore and named the bullets. After ten years there and only one conference championship in 1971 the team was moved again to Washington D.C. and named the capitol bullets. After two years the organization decided to go with the Washington bullets. From 1974 to 1997 the bullets were quite successful. They won conference championship in 75 78 and 79. And in 78 the won it all and were crowned world champions. In 1997 the team change its team name again to the current name the wizards. The wizards currently play there games at the Verizon center. It can hold approximately 21500 people. Some of the great players in this franchise are guys such as walt bellamy dave bing, elvin hayes, gus Johnson and one of the most well know moses Malone. All of these people listed are wizards in the hall of fame. Wes unseld and elvin hayes are two guys that played on the 78 championship and were said to have led them to that trophy. People like me are interested in sports because in our bust life it gives us a chance to sit back and enjoy exciting activities
ReplyDeletesince this weeks assignment is about a famous or popular sports team im going to talk about one of my favorite NFL teams the Green Bay Packers the Packers have Won 13 national championships more that any other team in the NFL the closest to them are the Chicago Bears with only 9 championships. and i would also like to point out that the ravens have only won 2. the green bay packers began when charels calhon and curly lambeau got together a bunch of atletes and started a football team they had no idea that it would turn into the legacy of the green bay packers. in their very first season of playing as a team but not yet green bay packers the team lost only one game and won 10. by 19 22 the green bay packers were an official Natinoal pro football team. in 1923 Andrew B. Turnbull is elected first president of Green Bay Football Corporation the packers won their first super bowl in 1929 only 7 years after becoming a team. and they went on a three year streak from 1929 to 1931. then they went on to win in 1936, 1939, and 1944. in all six of these super bowl win the packers were coached by Curly Lambeau. amd from there the packers go on to win 76 more super bowls there most recent being 2 years ago in 2010.
ReplyDelete