6. Some consider the neighborhood to be the birthplace of baseball
Though the origins of baseball are debatable, with some claiming the sport began in Cooperstown or Hoboken, some attribute it to Madison Square Park. In 1845, a 25-year-old law clerk named Alexander Cartwright pulled along some friends into the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club. Cartwright drew from elements of older games and then wrote up new rules, many of which still apply to baseball. These rules included a nine-inning game with baseballs that should be pitched, not thrown.
Cartwright and his teammates would practice baseball using these rules in Madison Square Park, specifically at Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street. Then, they moved to the Murray Hill Grounds at 34th Street and Park Avenue. By then, these rules were being picked up by other sports enthusiasts, thus many make the claim that the Flatiron District was the true birthplace of the American pastime.