The Story of Nighttime Baseball
Baseball, our national past time, dates back to the 1800s. Entrenched in history, forever storied, sometimes mythical but always quintessential, it’s the sport that gave rise to the Bambino, the Great One and record after record. But, before 1935 the game was always played by the light of day.
During the Great Depression, as ticket sales were waning, the General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds wanted a way to bring people back to the bleachers. In a bold and controversial move he decided to set up bright artificial lights that illuminated the night sky, and on May 24, 1935, the first night game was played at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field. The rest, is history.
