Is baseball still America's pastime? In Philadelphia suburbs, the game still withstands test of time
The game of baseball has been there through wars and desperate times. It's been labeled America's pastime, but today's world offers many more options for our children to choose from.
With MLB at its All-Star break, we set out to Montgomery and Delaware counties to take the pulse of the game that has been the rhythm of our summer for years. Has the pastime passed us by?
After 16 years as a coach, tournament team director and serving on the board of directors, Ed Hill took over as in September 2024.
Baseball is a family affair for Hill. Three of his kids have played or currently play at Nor-Gwyn.
"My whole summer revolved around baseball when I was a kid," Hill said. "The game is still there for me, and I passed it on to my kids. I do think baseball is still America's pastime. I go back to the history of it."
The exact origins of baseball as we know it today are unknown. For years, with inventing the game, but many historians now consider that to be a myth. Baseball's origins likely date back to the early 1800s, according to .
"Baseball has been through so much. It's basically withstood the test of time," baseball historian Jim Vankoski said. "Where would we be without baseball? It's the only game I can think of that's not played on a rectangle. You've got that diamond. Diamonds are forever."
Vankoski is one of the curators and faces of the , which is "dedicated to preserving the history and memory of Delaware County sports legends," according to its website.
Vankoski doesn't believe baseball will disappear from America's consciousness. In fact, MLB saw its in the 2024 season. Rule changes implemented in 2023 to create more action appear to have made a difference.
However, the narrative persists that baseball isn't as popular as other sports.
"It doesn't seem to be a neighborhood sport like it used to be," Vankoski said.
Chez Angeloni pitched at Johns Hopkins University before signing with the Boston Red Sox in 2009. He pitched in 34 games over two years in the Red Sox's system. Now, Angeloni co-owns , a baseball training and development program, in the Philadelphia area.
Angeloni said baseball is still his pastime, but he added that it's an interesting time, given the current landscape, particularly with the rise of Name, Image, and Likeness in college sports. Another factor in play, according to Angeloni, is screen time.
"There are a lot of kids in front of screens today. That's an obvious thing," Angeloni said. "You're not going to dispute that. Because if you don't like to just hit balls, if you don't like to go out and practice, it's not going to happen."
For Dillon Souvignier, a senior first baseman at Johns Hopkins, baseball has been his life since he can remember.
"Baseball has been, literally, the main focus and kind of the main thing that I get to look forward to in my life literally since I was 4 years old," Souvignier said.
Souvignier acknowledges that the NFL or NBA might be more fun to watch on TV, but "baseball is still really strong for the people who care."
Will Matteson manages the .
"It's the best game for a lot of reasons," Matteson said. "I think there's a lot of uncontrollables, and it teaches you how to deal with life. This is a game that you can do everything right in and still fail."
