Why is baseball suitable for children in China?

Although baseball has been carried out in China for more than 100 years, it has not been paid attention to, and the mass base is quite weak. Baseball is interesting, playful, military, competitive and intelligent, which is very suitable for college students. Modern baseball is spread all over the world on five continents and widely carried out in more than 70 countries and regions. The United States, Japan, Cuba and other countries are the most popular and are known as "national technology". Baseball has long been listed as an official event of the Olympic Games. Although there will be no baseball in the next London Olympic Games, we believe that the baseball games will return to the Olympic family as soon as possible.

1 the origin and development of baseball

As early as the middle of17th century, with the arrival of British immigrants from the New World, the rudiment of baseball came into being. Baseball evolved from English cricket and was called rounder baseball or New England ball in the early days. 1845, Alexander Carter Jr., who was only 25 years old in new york City, specially formulated the first set of baseball standard rules, so he was also honored as the father of baseball. 1846, in New Jersey, the first American baseball game was held between two organized teams, new york Bockel and new york 9. 1869, the first professional baseball team appeared in the United States: Cincinnati Red Sox. At present, two American baseball leagues, the National League, were founded in1876; The League of Nations was founded in 190 1. After more than a century of development, baseball has become the national game of the United States. Every year, the series in which two league champions compete for the highest honor in baseball attracts as many TV viewers as the first American astronaut walks on the moon. Americans are keen on baseball, just as the Japanese advocate judo and sumo, and the Spanish are keen on bullfighting, which has the same effect. These have become an inseparable part of their respective cultural life. Unlike basketball, baseball has not been widely popularized in other parts of the world, so it is completely American. Therefore, it can be said that baseball culture is closely related to American culture (Jacques Bazin, 1954).

2 Similarities between baseball culture and China traditional culture.

2. 1 Return to peace and nature and entertain yourself.

Confucian children have a successful career. Although they are in a prosperous city, they still build gardens, and the law is naturally at home. As soon as he was born, he was immersed in the pleasure of "planting beans at the foot of Nanshan" (Tao Qian: returning to the garden) and "the breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains" (Su Shi: former Chibi Fu), and integrated with nature. Although modern people are far away from the natural landscape, they have great yearning and attachment to it in spirit. It is a good example that the tourist attractions all over the country are overcrowded during the Golden Week every year. In the Taoist view, Tao, heaven, earth and human beings all exist naturally, and Tao itself is nature and a natural state. Taoism regards human beings as a part of the great cycle of nature, so people should take nature as an example. We should consciously abide by the objective laws of nature, protect the good ecology of nature, that is, the simple state of nature, and protect the harmonious existence and development of nature. Just as the rise of baseball with local flavor was to deal with the serious consequences of the first industrial revolution in the United States on people's spiritual life and material life, the proposal and popularity of Taoist naturalism was also to deal with the turmoil and chaos of people's spiritual life during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when the old slave production relations were replaced by the emerging feudal production relations. They all seek to return to the traditional rural society and nature, that is, to the state before the change of social relations, so as to eliminate people's mental confusion and confusion caused by the emergence of new social relations.

2.2 Memory of traditional rural society

Laozi, a representative of Taoism, once described the ideal society like this: "Small countries and few people ... are willing to eat, wear, be at ease with you and enjoy its customs." Neighboring countries look at each other, the voices of chickens and dogs hear each other, and the people die of old age. "(Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching). People work at sunrise and rest at sunset, and everyone can live in harmony. On the other hand, the environmental and ecological disadvantages brought by industrial civilization to modern society show that people's spiritual attachment and yearning for the traditional rural society described by Laozi has been flowing in the blood of China people. In this respect, people's spiritual yearning for and return to rural society is completely consistent with the original intention of baseball.

2.3 Emphasize the time of freedom without being limited by it.

As long as people live in the world, it is impossible to get rid of the shackles and fetters of time. It cannot exist independently of time, but can only be melted by time. Traditional Confucianism and Taoism in China have completely different views on this. Confucianism emphasizes the existence of human beings and their activities in time, while Taoism emphasizes the ultimate pursuit of human spiritual realm. Emphasize the coexistence of human spirit and time and space. Taoism advocates "the unity of things and me", "the mind swims without beginning" and pursues spiritual transcendence. And because "the realm of heaven and earth" is the most enlightened realm, it is omnipotent. As far as the relationship between baseball and Taoism and time is concerned, both of them emphasize freedom, autonomy and freedom not limited by time. Although the final state may be different, the most basic starting point is exactly the same.

2.4 Pay attention to the details of things

Paying attention to ordinary efforts, emphasizing the process of behavior, paying attention to details and enjoying the process of behavior, the result itself is not the only important factor. Traditional Confucian ways of self-cultivation, that is, learning from others, nourishing qi and smoothing, all emphasize the gradual process itself, and the final result is not very important (Tang, Zhang Huaicheng, 1999). At the beginning of baseball's birth, it was not for the final result of behavior-the victory of the game, but for the process of behavior itself. As a sport and entertainment, it is in the harmonious and quiet local atmosphere that the serious consequences brought by the industrial revolution are forgotten through the competition itself: the destruction of the environment, the monotony of life and the hustle and bustle of the city.

2.5 Special emphasis on the importance of "home"

The basic construction unit of traditional China society is not an independent person, but a family, which is the starting point and end point of all social activities (Fei Xiaotong, 1985). The traditional Confucian self-cultivation is to cultivate one's self-cultivation first, not for one's own success. Personal future is bright, just for glory, for a better "family", for further ruling the country and leveling the world. The most basic starting point of anything is for the benefit of the family or the family. Only when the interests of the individual are in harmony with those of the family, can he really find his own home and his talents can be stimulated to play better. Even if he finally reached the highest moral realm of Confucianism, he still wanted to retreat to his hometown with all his body, in order to make his family and people proud. The rules of baseball make us clearly aware of the importance of "home", that is, home plate. It is also the starting point and end point of all activities on the field, and it is the most dense place. This is exactly the same as "home" in our traditional society.

3 the current situation of developing baseball in colleges and universities in China

3. 1 distribution

From 1984 to now, the teams participating in previous college baseball games mainly came from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Liaoning, Guangdong and other regions, mainly concentrated in economically developed coastal, central and eastern regions. Northwest China, Hubei and other regions are basically blank. The distribution is very uneven; This can also be seen from the table 1. In the national college baseball competition, a pattern has been formed with north china university of technology as the center and universities in Beijing as the link to promote the vigorous development of baseball in the surrounding areas, and Shanghai International Studies University as the center and universities in Shanghai as the link to promote the vigorous development of baseball in the surrounding areas. Other districts are carrying out some sporadic activities, which has formed a trend that the baseball foundation is getting weaker from east to west throughout the country.

3.2 Organization form

From the organizational form, most colleges and universities in China have established baseball associations. Some schools have their own baseball teams, and some schools have special baseball classes, and the number of participants in each class can reach 30 to 40. For example, Tsinghua University, north china university of technology, Peking University, Beijing Normal University, University of International Trade and many other universities have included baseball in the physical education curriculum. According to incomplete statistics, there are about 30 college baseball teams in China, and two major associations have been established. In the north, China University Sports Association established China University Sports Association Baseball Branch, and north china university of technology is the secretary-general unit of Beijing University Sports Association Baseball Branch, and often organizes baseball games; Shanghai University Baseball Association was established in March, East China 1998. Its administrative leadership is the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, which is affiliated to the Shanghai University Sports Association. The members of the Association are composed of nine universities in East China, namely Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai Normal University, Tongji University and East China University of Science and Technology. In other areas, under the influence of foreign teachers and students, some baseball activities are sometimes organized, mainly friendly matches between students at school and between China students and foreign students, such as the baseball friendly match between Wuhan University Baseball Association and foreign students in 2003, with the main purpose of enriching students' spare time, promoting ideological and cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign students and friendship between Chinese and foreign students.

3.3 Competition activities

At present, baseball is well developed in universities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The National College Baseball Championship is held regularly every year, and the teams are getting stronger and stronger, and the competition is becoming more and more fierce and more interesting. Besides, with north china university of technology as the center and universities in Beijing as the link, baseball leagues are often held in Beijing. Organized by the Baseball Association of Shanghai University, Shanghai promotes baseball leagues in Shanghai and its surrounding cities.

3.4 Number of participants

Judging from the number of participants, college students are the main force of baseball at present. According to the survey, every year, the National College Baseball League and the Beijing College Baseball League attract thousands of college students to pay attention to baseball, and the number of participants is increasing. In addition, many people are also concerned about the baseball league in China, but there is a characteristic of "more than two heads and less in the middle" in age; Old people and children pay more attention to baseball than young people.

4 conclusion

Generally speaking, the cultural connotation of baseball is basically consistent with the traditional culture of China. We are convinced that the cultural prospect of baseball in China is gratifying, which will surely create a solid and good cultural foundation for the popularization and development of baseball in China universities.