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MLB | Jun 28

Baseball and the Fourth of July: An American Tradition

Baseball and the Fourth of July: An American Tradition
A general view inside Yankee Stadium - Al Bello/Getty Images/afp

America’s pastime on America’s birthday

There isn’t a day in America when patriotism is more accepted than the Fourth of July. To celebrate the country’s independence, families grill hot dogs, drink beer, and light fireworks. However, America’s pastime can’t be forgotten. With the NFL, NBA, and NHL all out of season, the MLB reigns supreme on Independence Day.

Baseball teams spare no expense to ensure a proper celebration and all 30 MLB teams will be playing on July 4. That will be a total of 15 games for fans to choose from. Every fan base will be represented. The action will start with the Washington Nationals hosting the Cincinnati Reds at 11:05 AM ET and there will be games all day until the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Pittsburgh Pirates at 9:10 PM ET.

While many will be at home enjoying the games, others will be at the stadium to celebrate the holiday. Baseball has fallen in popularity in recent years as the NFL continues to build its fan base. However, baseball will always be America’s pastime no matter how popular other sports leagues become. As Sports Illustrated’s Mark Van Sickle wrote, “There are plenty of sports to watch and invest your time into, but baseball will still be the sport that feels most rooted in American tradition.”

To celebrate the Fourth of July, many teams will have special events going on at their stadiums. Some teams have taken an odd approach to celebrating. According to multiple MLB news outlets, four stadiums will be offering a new ketchup condiment called Colachup, which is a Pepsi-infused ketchup that is debuting at the stadiums of the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Twins, and Tigers. It remains to be seen if this new condiment that sounds like an idea from The Onion will catch on at other stadiums, or if people will end up in the hospital.

There will also be fireworks galore for many teams across the country. The Philadelphia Phillies will be hosting a Salute to Veterans Celebration while the Washington Nationals pregame flyover by three U.S. Army UH-1 “Huey” Helicopters in the nation’s capital. After the Dodgers wrap up the last game of the day, they will be putting on the Dodger Stadium Friday Night Light Shows, which will, of course, feature fireworks.

Those are just some of the festivities going on at America’s most famous ballparks, but every home team will have something to celebrate. All of these 4th of July events are exciting, but nothing is better than grabbing a beer and a hot dog while watching the game. It’s always easy for Americans to forget about the significance of baseball in the culture due to the NFL getting a grip over the country’s sports market. The first baseball game was played in 1846, which came decades before the first football game was played.

The Fourth of July is the time of the year for baseball to shine and remind fans of its importance to the country. It should be a great day for the sport as it is every year. So grab your hot dog and a cold one, watch some baseball, and have yourself a happy 4th of July!

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