Kilpeläiset, paikallisuus ja pesäpallokulttuurin muutos

Abstract

Pesäpalloilija Heikki Kilpeläinen kairasi nimensä lajin historiaan. Puurtilan Kisa-Pojissa pelannut Kilpeläinen valittiin vuonna 1966 vuoden lukkariksi. Ansiolistalla on kaksi SM-sarjan hopeamitalia ja kolme Itä-Länsi-ottelua. Vuonna 2021 Kilpeläinen valittiin postuumisti Varkauden Urheilun kunniagalleriaan. Pesäpallokentillä ja -katsomoissa viihtyneille onkin tullut tutuksi sukunimi Kilpeläinen. Aivan sattuma ei ole, että Heikki ja muut Kilpeläiset ovat hakeutuneet pesäpallon pariin.

The birth of Finnish baseball can be- dated to the year 1922. Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala, "the father of the Finnish baseball", shaped the game from the old ball games played in the countryside. In addition, he was influenced by American baseball. Pihkala's goal was to develop a national game suitable for military skills. The Finnish baseball was a product of agrarian society. Ball was played in villages across Finland. With the written rules, baseball became a popular sport also in cities in the 1920s and 1930s. Especially, the paramilitary organization Civil Guard played an important role in spreading baseball all over the country. Today, baseball is a popular summer sport in Finland without the military function. Baseball has gone through major changes during its hundred-year of history. These changes can he made visible by tracing players of one eastern Finnish family branch. Through the careers of 66 baseball players of Kilpeläinen family (the database), the changes in socialization process and in the Finnish baseball culture and he identified. In the beginning, the members of Kilpeläinen family played traditional ball games in one village of Leppävirta municipality. With the growth of enthusiasm and skills, they participated in series representing a local club called Leppävirran Kiipperä. In the 1960s, the club reached even the second highest level. Later, the players of Kilpeläinen family moved to other local clubs and then to bigger clubs in different parts of Finland. The rapid urbanization of Finnish society affected strongly the playing careers of Kilpeläinen family members: they moved geographically to wider and wider areas. The fact that so many members of Kilpeläinen family played the Finnish baseball in official series tells us about the strong tradition. The change in baseball culture can he seen in the fact that importance of the original club Leppävirran Kiipperä has diminished over the decades. The drastic structural change of the Finnish society and the population decline in the rural areas from the 1960s onwards made it more difficult to play Finnish baseball in the countryside. To play in the major series required financial and human resources found easier in cities. At the same time, the Finnish baseball professionalized, with the consequence that the younger players of Kilpeläinen family started their careers in junior teams located in cities in different parts of Finland.