# The 7th Inning Stretch is dumb

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-7th-inning-stretch-is-dumb/758282>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [June 25, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-7th-inning-stretch-is-dumb/758282 "2016-06-25T00:59:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-7th-inning-stretch-is-dumb/758282/61 "2016-07-07T19:20:28Z")

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> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> The 7th inning stretch is an abomination. When I get my time machine working I’m going back in time to when this tradition started and do whatever is necessary to make sure it never happens.

Be careful! Doing so may mean assassinating a U.S. President:

> [@](#):
>
> A popular story for the origin of the seventh-inning stretch is that on April 14, 1910, on opening day, 6’2" 350-pound President William Howard Taft was sore from prolonged sitting at a game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics and stood up to stretch, causing the crowd to feel obligated to join their president in his gestures.[4] This story is set at a far later date than the others, however, so he may only have given the presidential seal of approval to a longstanding tradition; the story that his physical problems forced him to stand up contradict this, but he might have just been waiting for the proper accepted time to relieve his pain; either way, he gave national publicity to the practice.

> **[Seventh-inning stretch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh-inning_stretch)**
>
> In baseball in the United States and Canada, the seventh-inning stretch (also known as the Lucky 7 in Japan) is a long-standing tradition that takes place between the halves of the seventh inning of a game. Fans generally stand up and stretch out their arms and legs and sometimes walk around. It is a popular time to get a late-game snack or an alcoholic beverage, as alcohol sales often cease after the last out of the seventh inning. The stretch also serves as a short break for the players.
> Most ...

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-7th-inning-stretch-is-dumb/758282/62 "2016-07-07T21:54:29Z")

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> [@BeeGee](#):
>
> At Arlington, they play “Cotton Eyed Joe” and there’s a little dancing in the stands by those who wish. There’s your stretch.

At the Ted in Atlanta, too. At least, three years ago, the last time I was at a Braves game. I don’t know what they’ll do at the new stadium, because I refuse to drive into the most congested traffic in the metro area.

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