I became a wiser man while doing some research for my blog this week. Sometimes when you say something repeatedly to yourself, you will believe it to be true whether it is true or not. Such was the case of a long-held belief I had regarding the name of the World Series.
To some, they feel the World Series is America’s international dominance of baseball. To others, they question the arrogance of using such a title when other countries are not invited. For years I would correct both sides with what I thought was the real reason for the World Series origins.
The story regarding the name of the World Series that I believed to be true for years goes like this. There were two upstart baseball leagues at the turn of the 20th century. The National League was formed in 1876 and the American League in 1903. There was no interleague play at that time and there was the constant debate as to which league was better. Also at that time, there was a newspaper called the New York World and Telegram. They had an idea to sponsor an exhibition putting the winners of each league against each other. The newspaper would have exclusivity reporting the event. This was a marketing ploy to sell more newspapers. It did not work because the newspaper eventually went out of business, yet the name carried on. That was the story I repeated to others for years, but this week, my bubble burst.
While doing some research I found that this version that I thought was true, is a myth. The New York World and Telegram did not sponsor the first World Series, and it certainly did not have exclusivity over it. It started when the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates (winner of the National League) contacted the owner of the Boston Red Sox (American league winner) to play an exhibition that would be called, World’s Championship Series.
So why do we hold on to myths? Do we simply like it better than reality? Does it fit our version of how the world should be and not as it is? Does it make us feel morally superior or more intelligent than society? Freud would have a field day analyzing answers to those questions, but at the end of the day, the motivation does not matter. A myth is simply not true.
If you unknowingly believe in a myth that is one thing, but if you are presented with the facts, how do you react? Do you let your stubbornness and ego get in the way and continue to believe that something is not true, or do you swallow your pride, admit that your beliefs were wrong and you move on as a wiser person?
Keep an open mind. Learn new things. Question the status quo. Be humble. The more I know, the more I don’t know. I like to learn new things, and I do believe you can teach an old dog new tricks. This is how you grow as a person. Myths are falsehoods and left unchecked they can lead to conspiracy theories. You can believe what you want about the Kennedy Assassination or the Moon Landing, but when you blindly accept myths, this can lead to beliefs that simply are not true like vaccines, rigged elections or if the world is flat. Have the humility to accept when you were wrong and move on. I hope Santa will forgive me regarding my thoughts on the World Series.
Al