Attribution: Photo by Jimmy Conover on Unsplash
By Geoff Carter
Once upon a time, baseball was America’s pastime, but the sport’s popularity has waned. It’s not as violent as football or as exciting as basketball or as fast as hockey. It’s a sport that takes its time (even with the pitch clock) but one in which, in a split-second, the swing of the bat can create heart-stopping action.
There is something about the game, the behind-the-scenes strategy, the one-on-one matchups, its pastoral feel, the beauty of sitting in the stands on a hot summer day watching your team, the memories of playing catch with your dad, or getting together a pick-up game of softball that encapsulates the American experience. Everyone knows baseball. Most of it have played it at one time or another. Yes, baseball, like America, has endured.
As Terence Mann in the film Field of Dreams states, “The one constant through all the years… has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game—It’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.”
I was going to write my weekly column about the latest crimes, lies, and misdemeanors committed by our present administration, as I’ve felt compelled to do for the last eight months, but I decided to take a short break to enjoy—and to ponder–the major league playoffs—and baseball itself. I wanted, maybe I needed, to be reminded of what was once good in this country and what could—and will—be good again.
Baseball is uniquely American, born and bred here. It is a team sport with a strong emphasis on one-on-one individual competition, which can be seen as an example of American individualism. Batters are asked to do the seemingly impossible, to hit a baseball traveling at one hundred miles an hour—which is usually moving around like a cricket on a hot stove. They are considered successful if they connect for a hit thirty percent of the time. It’s batter versus pitcher—mano a mano—like a gunfight in an old Western. What could be more American?
But there are nine men on the field., a team. And as a team, players also have to function as a unit defensively, knowing where to hit the cutoff man and how to turn a double play or field a squeeze play. The complicated skill sets necessary to execute this sort of teamwork and individual achievement should remind us of the American ethos of hard work, determination, and excellence.
Baseball is no longer just American. It is now a world sport. Over two hundred and sixty-five internationally born players play in the major leagues today, featuring players from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, and many, many more. It is a microcosm of America, where refugees and those seeking a better life came to reach for the stars and fulfill their dreams. Every time we see a William Contreras or a Jazz Chisolm, Jr., Bryan Abreu, or a Shohei Ohtani trot onto the field, we should be reminded of the fact this country was built on the shoulders of immigrants and that most of us who live here—with the exception of Native Americans—were once immigrants ourselves.
Watching a packed stadium full of screaming fans should remind us of American solidarity. During last night’s playoff game, I saw Cubs fans sitting next to Brewers fans and Phillies fans sitting by the Dodgers nation. There have been periods in our history (like now) when we were a highly divided people, when brother fought brother, when we succumbed to racism, prejudice, hate, and fear and persecuted our fellow Americans. But there have also been other times when we worked together and when we could live in peace. Baseball should remind us of these times.
During World War II, the entire country—including major league baseball—pulled together to help defeat the fascist forces abroad. Those who didn’t fight in the armed forces worked to keep the factories humming and the country running. And baseball survived. Although many ballplayers enlisted and fought overseas, President Roosevelt encouraged the continuation of league play with his “green light letter”, stating that baseball would encourage morale and recreation for the American people. To help with the war effort, Cubs owner Charles Wrigley founded the All-American Professional Girls Baseball League in 1943. Baseball brought us together and kept us together.
It could be argued that baseball is just a game and relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but today, as we are faced an internal threat to our governmental institutions, our personal freedoms, our culture, and our very lives, we might turn to the game of baseball as a reminder of the values that, once upon a time, made us the greatest nation on Earth.
Teamwork, individualism, integrity, inclusiveness, and solidarity are not uniquely American values, but they are inextricably bound up in our uniquely American past time. When our own leaders lie to us and selfishly grasp at all the money they can get their filthy little hands on, remember the grace and simple beauty of Lou Gehrig’s great farewell speech or Jimmy Piersall’s painful struggle to stay in the major leagues.
When the administration lies about “murderers and rapists” streaming across our border, remember Roberto Clemente’s great career, his ground-breaking election to the hall of fame, and his selfless humanitarian work.
When Donald Trump and members of his administration rail against DEI policies, equal opportunity programs, and glorify white supremacist groups like The Proud Boys, remember Jackie Robinson, who fought with dignity, patience, and grace to bring equality and diversity to the game.
When Vice-President J.D. Vance makes comments about “childless cat ladies” and insists that abortion should not be made available for rape or incest victims, or that childless couples pay more taxes than families with children, remember the woman who played in the All-American Professional Girls Baseball League as part of President Roosevelt’s “green light letter.”
The attacks on our citizens and our country have been ruthless and relentless. Thousands of people have lost their jobs. Others will soon be losing their Medicaid while more will see astronomical hikes on their health care premiums—all because of Trump’s Big Bilious Bill.
When we tune into the MLB playoffs or are lucky enough to go to the games ourselves, remember to look around at the people in the stands. In the heat of the moment, strangers will high-five or hug each other. Fans of opposing teams will talk and joke and console each other. They stand in solidarity behind their favorite players, their teams, and each other. Even though opposing fans may tease each other, they are for the most part civilized and courteous. They know the rules.
For the most part (and there are always a couple of knuckleheads), fans respect the rules, as do the players on the field. A player or a manager may argue a strike call, but they would never sue the umpires’ union or the team or attempt to ruin their career or incite violence against them. They accept both winning and losing graciously. They respect fairness.
Baseball has been a constant. It still, even after more than a hundred years, embodies the essence of the American experience. Sacrifice, skill, determination, fairness, solidarity, and inclusiveness are displayed in every play of every game. This, not the violence, the hateful rhetoric, and the fear cultivated by the Trump administration, is the American way.
Notes
- https://www.mlb.com/international/players
- https://www.ancestry.com/c/ancestry-blog/history/baseball-during-wwii#:~:text=Baseball%20to%20Boost%20Morale%20and,a%20specific%20branch%20of%20service.
- https://www.history.com/articles/womens-baseball-league-world-war-ii
- https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29759377/roberto-clemente-tops-list-baseball-legendary-latino-faces
- https://www.npr.org/2024/07/29/nx-s1-5055616/jd-vance-childless-cat-lady-history