There is an ongoing debate as to colleges and universities should use aluminum or wooden bats. Aluminum bats are relatively new to baseball, gaining popularity in the mid 1970s; before that, wooden bats were used exclusively. However, because baseball players were cracking bats at a high rate, baseball programs had to set aside an inordinate amount of its budget to replacing bats. Aluminum bats became popular when it was discovered that outlast wooden bats. To date, colleges and universities prefer aluminum bats because of budget constraints, swinging power, and durability. The controversy lies in the fact that purists believe aluminum bats make baseball players better than they are. Subpar baseball players can still play because aluminum Easton 2010 bats give them more power. Many spectators, however, like this because they claim it makes the game more exciting to watch.