I'm excited for this post. I just recently (finally) got back an interview questionnaire that I sent to a friend of mine who has been involved with professional baseball since the early 2000's. His name is Jason Stephens. Jason is currently a player/coach with the Philadelphia Phillies after undergoing numerous arm surgeries and was kind enough to email me back his detailed responses on his perspective of the American and Latino cultures of baseball. Jason is tenured when it comes to the game (particularly at the professional level) and has been through many parts of the country, seeing various teams, organizational structures, players, etc. He was drafted in the 5th round out of high school by the New York Yankees and after spending seven years in New York, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies where he remains today.
In order to preserve authenticity, originality, and error, the transcript was not altered, grammatically changed, or tampered with in any way. How you see it is how I received it. As always, feel free to comment on any of Jason's answers, viewpoints, experiences, etc.
Without further ado, here is the transcript:
Interview with: Jason Stephens
Administered by: Cory Hindel
1) Do you believe that baseball is still an ‘American Game?’
Baseball is considered to be an American game because of its origins. Though there were similar games worldwide, the game of baseball has its roots here. Even though the rules have changed very little over the years, the way game is played and portrayed has changed drastically. I would argue that the game of baseball is just as much an “American” game today as it was in the days of Ruth and Gehrig. Baseball has adopted many of the same characteristics that the country as a whole exhibits. It has put more stress on profits and the individual than on the game itself. In adding the Latin countries we have pulled them into our version of the game rather than incorporating what it is to them.
When I talk about “baseball” being an American game, it needs to be understood that means “Major League Baseball” and their affiliates. And as such, it is obvious that every team in the league strives to win the World Series not because it puts them at the pinnacle of their sport, but because of the future profits they will earn in jersey sales, attendance and T.V. Rights. On player to player basis, the same is true. American fans have demanded that the play style go away from the traditional bunt-and-run style in favor of “the long ball”. In this way I think American culture has influenced the game so much that there’s no doubt we can call it our own.
2) Do you believe there is disparity in baseball between the American culture of baseball and the Latin America culture of baseball? Please explain:
There are differences between the two cultures and the easiest way to spot them is to look at the professional leagues in Latin countries. The winter leagues that play in Venezuela, The Dominican Republic and Mexico only resemble the game we know as far as the rules they follow. Fan support and attendance is much more universal throughout the league as opposed to the contrast you see in the MLB between teams like the Yankees and the Royals. It seems they decide to support a team and are more loyal to those teams because they like the game as opposed to wanting to be associated with a winning organization.
3) As a professional coach, where do you see the biggest differences between the players (Americans vs. Latinos), fans (Americans vs. Latinos), etc.?
The biggest difference between the American and Latin players is an easy one to spot. It’s like comparing Little League to the MLB. Some of the stereotypes about baseball players turn out to be true. American players tend to look at the game from a business perspective. They approach baseball as a means to an end. That’s not to say that they don’t enjoy playing the game but it really seems like a majority or playing only because they see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Whereas, with the Latin culture, it seems as though their playing for the love of the game. It sounds cliche but when you’ve seen enough locker rooms it starts to seem pretty true.
The difference between the fans is not quite as easy to define. As a player and a coach I can say confidently the difference between the players, but the difference in the fans I have to speculate. Mainly it seems like American fans will find a favorite team and latch on whereas in the Latin culture, especially the Dominican, they will always support the hometown heroes.
4) Where do you think there should be a change (if at all) in the culture of baseball to make it a ‘more inclusive’ game?
The only way that the culture of baseball will become anything else is if the fans of baseball decide that it should be something different. If baseball fans were more connected with their hometown teams and followed them through good seasons and through bad baseball would become more inclusive. As opposed to stressing the individual players on the team, fans should view teams the way the European Futbal fans view their Clubs. It would force the game to adjust along with the public interest.
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jason that baseball is an American game in the sense of its business structure: which essentially revolves around capitalism. The more a team wins, the more they will see profits/revenues across the board go up. I also agree that we have morphed the Latino players into our version of baseball and have realistically given them no hope or chance to incorporate their own culture into the game. There are instances where this could be wrong (i.e. when a Latin American player walks out to a song from their home country), but our traditions, values, style, and politics hold true to the American way.
In a survey I conducted (please see survey at the bottom), I asked respondents to give reasons why they think baseball is still an ‘American Game.’ One of the quotes is as follows:
“Baseball has become an iconic event in American culture. It's not just about the sport itself, but about the fans attending. The beer, the hot dogs, the 7th inning stretch- there is just something very patriotic feeling about going to a baseball game.”
While this focuses more on the fan base, it shows how we (as fans) do not associate any other type of ethnicity, race, or country with the game. I would find it hard to believe that someone from the Dominican Republic would attend a game and come out feeling more patriotic. At the same point, do we honestly feel more patriotic at a baseball game, or is it just because, socially, we are constructed to feel that way with people in a higher power position than us tell us to?
Jason makes a good point in the differences in fan base. He says that fans pretty much follow all of the teams in Latin countries because they have a true love of the game, where in the States, we could be considered various names, such as: “fair weathered,” “bandwagon fans,” or “front runners.” They all, in one way or another, conclude the same thing, and that is that we like to be involved in competition/winning. It resembles, yet again, our country’s capitalistic views that say we have to compete (and win) in everything in order to make it important or gain respect.
SURVEY: http://www.surveymonkey.com/MySurveys.aspx
What sociological perspectives are most useful to understand this? Analysis of the survey results?
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