When did America choose football over baseball? I find one game relaxing to watch even as it is exciting, and the other ... not. Also, I can actually play baseball and understand the game that way.
What's your team? I'm from Chicago and had to give up my lifelong Cubs fandom after they finally won the World Series and jettisoned the 3 guys that got them there; also because of the Ricketts/Trump marriage. So now that I live on the West Coast, it's the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks--for the great young teams, for the diverse fan base that is heavy on Hispanics, and because they aren't one of those teams like the Dodgers that expects to hit the play-offs every year. That made it phenomenal when they both did in recent years! Bring on spring training.
I'm Detroit Tigers all the way, having largely grown up in Ann Arbor, but other than that, a fan of good baseball whoever plays it. I now live in Maryland, and do follow Orioles and Nationals, too. Like you, I relax and also get excited watching, going live, or playing - though a lot less of that now in my 60s. As an avid student of both history and the game, I also requested and got a Detroit Stars hat and shirt, old segregated, now-recognized as Major League. A Christmas gift.
I had some time to look up the Detroit Stars; thanks for that. I'm gratified that MLB is finally acknowledging the Negro Leagues and doing so publicly. Sure, it's a marketing tool, but they have realized that to grow their fan base, they have to appeal to minorities, and they are doing it.
The Stars had a Cuban player all those years ago? And the great nicknames that were used back then added to the intimacy. Have you seen any original footage of the team? I'm checking YouTube but only see retrospectives so far. You're right: baseball history is satisfying anytime. Best wishes.
I don't do a whole lot of You-Tubing, some, not a lot, so no, I did not see that. I do a lot of homemade statistics, though (a legacy from my baseball and Tiger loving mother). Through this and with recent research, I came across a pitcher with a very ordinary name - Andy Cooper, now in the Hall of Fame. I now think he, rather than Warren Spahn, probably deserves the title "greatest left handed pitcher." He was mainly with the Detroit Stars.
Speaking of You-Tube, if you look up "City on Fire - 1968 Detroit Tigers", that tells you better than I could even tell you myself why that team took hold of me at the age of 10, and I have in turn never let go. That one I did see, on YouTube, as well as regular TV when it was on briefly.
Tigers—that is a good, solid history. Even though I was wowed by the Dodgers and Fernando Valenzuela when I lived in L.A. during the ‘80s, I disengage from teams that get too much money and win too much. Although money is relative these days. As a Cubs fan, I would consider more than one World Series title “winning too much.” :)
In a way, I’m glad for our long struggle in that regard. Boy, did Chicagoans have their moment after 102 years of waiting! I can’t express the joy in 2016. But then a couple days later, guess who came along and stole it?
Yeah, the Cubs were one of the first to capitulate. I could talk baseball all day, and especially link it to the context of American history, and in the case of Detroit, local history. I could go on for hours about that alone. And not consider it a waste, no matter how dire things get.
The game and the history are grounding right about now, aren't they? My iconic souvenir is a baseball with the bruise on it plucked from the foul stands at Wrigley Field on my 50th birthday. I wrestled it from a 10-year-old kid and never regretted it. Live a lifetime in baseball, son, and then it's your turn to grab one :)
Sports at almost every level are played by people who love the game. That means, for the huge majority, playing by the rules, respecting your opponent, and enjoying the process. You can get frustrated, upset, and sometimes feel it’s unfair, but basically, it’s a contest and you know going in that it’s ok to lose if you do your best.
Sadly, our politics today have destroyed that way of participating. We have one side whose entire playbook is based on lies, cheating, threats, and even violence. They are arrogant and deceitful. They don’t want to win, they want to take everything and kick us when we’re down.
The Chiefs shook hands with everyone, just like the Ravens did. They will all return next year with a new approach. They don’t want to destroy the game or the country or everyone’s lives.
I must admit, as a long time Eagles fan (I go back to the Dutchman, Norm van Brocklin when there wasn’t a Super Bowl) I loved watching this game. I could hear my father’s ghost chortling!
I couldn’t agree more. I fell in love with Dodgers baseball when I was 5 years old listening to the amazing Vin Scully on my transistor radio which was the only way we could follow sports in those days. I love baseball, college basketball (especially the women’s game) and football as well as tennis, some soccer and of course the Olympics. After Trump was elected again (God only knows how) I had to stop following the news for a few weeks but missed my sports too much! They are the only thing that keeps me sane in these troubling times. Fly Eagles Fly 🦅! And indeed they did!
This week we witnessed another opportunity for sporting heroes to educate the masses. During the National Hockey League’s 4 Nations Challenge some of the players were asked about how they felt when the Montreal audience booed the US National Anthem. The only comment I heard was from American Matthew Tkatchuck who said only “I don’t like it”. I have no idea of his position on the Trump tariffs and statements that Canada should be the 51st state, but it seems US Hockey Players and Fans are less educated on the issue than Canadians.
See the post from a Canadian Green Party Influencer:
I've watched the first two games of the NHL's Four Nations Tournament - Canada v. Sweden (Canada won 4-3 in overtime) and U.S. v. Finland (U.S. won 6-1 in regulation). Saturday's games will pit perennial rivals against one another - Finland v. Sweden and U.S. v. Canada. Both will be on ABC and should be doozies. It's this year's version of the NHL All-Star game. I love hockey for the speed and intensity. This format also has regular season teammates competing against each other (Red Wings' Dylan Larkin (U.S.) and Lucas Raymond (Sweden) and Rangers' Adam Fox (U.S.) and Mika Zibanejad (Sweden) among others). It's a nice break from everything else going on, including the weather.
As a Philly resident, I know a lot of people that were pulling for Philly this year. The team was beyond excellent, and they were really a team.
I hope as we watch our government be dismantled firing by firing, we can stop the destruction, but other than protest and give money to organizations who are fighting in the courts, there is not much more I can think to do.
I am amazed to find even here no trace of awareness of a well documented drama of football players who suffer brain damage almost as a rule. Is it possible that in this day and age one can be so illiterate or care so little for human suffering, for the so-called love of sports and fun in watching them? And this is to be associated with democracy? Democracy is above all solidarity and empathy for human suffering, and education, knowledge, information, reflection, awareness.
This total lack of solidarity and empathy even among the most educated in the US is frightening. I have lived for many years in the US, and if not for my European origin I would have never left this great country. But tolerance of violence there to this day remain to me deeply disturbing.
The current level of politics is destroying our country and those in power want it that way. We need to stop them for the love of country no matter your party affiliation.
I, on the other hand, was pissed about the unsportsmanlike attitude of the Eagles in their win over the Washington Commanders to get to the SB. So I cheered for the Chiefs just because.
Great piece Allison! You have inspired me to upgrade to paid. Yes, lots of life lessons in sports. I wrote a similar piece about democracy and sports back when the Steelers (advance apologies to Ravens fans) beat the Colts on a miracle backwards tackle. You can read it here if you're interested: https://jeffzittrain.com/hope-is-the-weapon
Wonderful piece! More like this...even to just help us get through the other dark things happening.
Please, dear god, let spring training begin without a strike--by either the players or that asteroid. I need baseball right now.
At this point, I might start rooting for the asteroid.
With you on that, too, Greenpeace. It's baseball all the way for me - always has been.
When did America choose football over baseball? I find one game relaxing to watch even as it is exciting, and the other ... not. Also, I can actually play baseball and understand the game that way.
What's your team? I'm from Chicago and had to give up my lifelong Cubs fandom after they finally won the World Series and jettisoned the 3 guys that got them there; also because of the Ricketts/Trump marriage. So now that I live on the West Coast, it's the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks--for the great young teams, for the diverse fan base that is heavy on Hispanics, and because they aren't one of those teams like the Dodgers that expects to hit the play-offs every year. That made it phenomenal when they both did in recent years! Bring on spring training.
I'm Detroit Tigers all the way, having largely grown up in Ann Arbor, but other than that, a fan of good baseball whoever plays it. I now live in Maryland, and do follow Orioles and Nationals, too. Like you, I relax and also get excited watching, going live, or playing - though a lot less of that now in my 60s. As an avid student of both history and the game, I also requested and got a Detroit Stars hat and shirt, old segregated, now-recognized as Major League. A Christmas gift.
I had some time to look up the Detroit Stars; thanks for that. I'm gratified that MLB is finally acknowledging the Negro Leagues and doing so publicly. Sure, it's a marketing tool, but they have realized that to grow their fan base, they have to appeal to minorities, and they are doing it.
The Stars had a Cuban player all those years ago? And the great nicknames that were used back then added to the intimacy. Have you seen any original footage of the team? I'm checking YouTube but only see retrospectives so far. You're right: baseball history is satisfying anytime. Best wishes.
I don't do a whole lot of You-Tubing, some, not a lot, so no, I did not see that. I do a lot of homemade statistics, though (a legacy from my baseball and Tiger loving mother). Through this and with recent research, I came across a pitcher with a very ordinary name - Andy Cooper, now in the Hall of Fame. I now think he, rather than Warren Spahn, probably deserves the title "greatest left handed pitcher." He was mainly with the Detroit Stars.
Speaking of You-Tube, if you look up "City on Fire - 1968 Detroit Tigers", that tells you better than I could even tell you myself why that team took hold of me at the age of 10, and I have in turn never let go. That one I did see, on YouTube, as well as regular TV when it was on briefly.
Best
Tigers—that is a good, solid history. Even though I was wowed by the Dodgers and Fernando Valenzuela when I lived in L.A. during the ‘80s, I disengage from teams that get too much money and win too much. Although money is relative these days. As a Cubs fan, I would consider more than one World Series title “winning too much.” :)
In a way, I’m glad for our long struggle in that regard. Boy, did Chicagoans have their moment after 102 years of waiting! I can’t express the joy in 2016. But then a couple days later, guess who came along and stole it?
Yeah, the Cubs were one of the first to capitulate. I could talk baseball all day, and especially link it to the context of American history, and in the case of Detroit, local history. I could go on for hours about that alone. And not consider it a waste, no matter how dire things get.
The game and the history are grounding right about now, aren't they? My iconic souvenir is a baseball with the bruise on it plucked from the foul stands at Wrigley Field on my 50th birthday. I wrestled it from a 10-year-old kid and never regretted it. Live a lifetime in baseball, son, and then it's your turn to grab one :)
Sports at almost every level are played by people who love the game. That means, for the huge majority, playing by the rules, respecting your opponent, and enjoying the process. You can get frustrated, upset, and sometimes feel it’s unfair, but basically, it’s a contest and you know going in that it’s ok to lose if you do your best.
Sadly, our politics today have destroyed that way of participating. We have one side whose entire playbook is based on lies, cheating, threats, and even violence. They are arrogant and deceitful. They don’t want to win, they want to take everything and kick us when we’re down.
The Chiefs shook hands with everyone, just like the Ravens did. They will all return next year with a new approach. They don’t want to destroy the game or the country or everyone’s lives.
I must admit, as a long time Eagles fan (I go back to the Dutchman, Norm van Brocklin when there wasn’t a Super Bowl) I loved watching this game. I could hear my father’s ghost chortling!
I couldn’t agree more. I fell in love with Dodgers baseball when I was 5 years old listening to the amazing Vin Scully on my transistor radio which was the only way we could follow sports in those days. I love baseball, college basketball (especially the women’s game) and football as well as tennis, some soccer and of course the Olympics. After Trump was elected again (God only knows how) I had to stop following the news for a few weeks but missed my sports too much! They are the only thing that keeps me sane in these troubling times. Fly Eagles Fly 🦅! And indeed they did!
This week we witnessed another opportunity for sporting heroes to educate the masses. During the National Hockey League’s 4 Nations Challenge some of the players were asked about how they felt when the Montreal audience booed the US National Anthem. The only comment I heard was from American Matthew Tkatchuck who said only “I don’t like it”. I have no idea of his position on the Trump tariffs and statements that Canada should be the 51st state, but it seems US Hockey Players and Fans are less educated on the issue than Canadians.
See the post from a Canadian Green Party Influencer:
https://youtu.be/cl9VVe5gNoQ?si=IBimS4PnZbb8Dzzk
I've watched the first two games of the NHL's Four Nations Tournament - Canada v. Sweden (Canada won 4-3 in overtime) and U.S. v. Finland (U.S. won 6-1 in regulation). Saturday's games will pit perennial rivals against one another - Finland v. Sweden and U.S. v. Canada. Both will be on ABC and should be doozies. It's this year's version of the NHL All-Star game. I love hockey for the speed and intensity. This format also has regular season teammates competing against each other (Red Wings' Dylan Larkin (U.S.) and Lucas Raymond (Sweden) and Rangers' Adam Fox (U.S.) and Mika Zibanejad (Sweden) among others). It's a nice break from everything else going on, including the weather.
As a Philly resident, I know a lot of people that were pulling for Philly this year. The team was beyond excellent, and they were really a team.
I hope as we watch our government be dismantled firing by firing, we can stop the destruction, but other than protest and give money to organizations who are fighting in the courts, there is not much more I can think to do.
I am amazed to find even here no trace of awareness of a well documented drama of football players who suffer brain damage almost as a rule. Is it possible that in this day and age one can be so illiterate or care so little for human suffering, for the so-called love of sports and fun in watching them? And this is to be associated with democracy? Democracy is above all solidarity and empathy for human suffering, and education, knowledge, information, reflection, awareness.
Please start taking care of this immense human tragedy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concussions_in_American_football#:~:text=Concussions%20and%20play%2Drelated%20head,%2C%20stress%2C%20and%20sleep%20disturbances.
This total lack of solidarity and empathy even among the most educated in the US is frightening. I have lived for many years in the US, and if not for my European origin I would have never left this great country. But tolerance of violence there to this day remain to me deeply disturbing.
The current level of politics is destroying our country and those in power want it that way. We need to stop them for the love of country no matter your party affiliation.
I, on the other hand, was pissed about the unsportsmanlike attitude of the Eagles in their win over the Washington Commanders to get to the SB. So I cheered for the Chiefs just because.
Otherwise I agree with everything else you said.
Great piece Allison! You have inspired me to upgrade to paid. Yes, lots of life lessons in sports. I wrote a similar piece about democracy and sports back when the Steelers (advance apologies to Ravens fans) beat the Colts on a miracle backwards tackle. You can read it here if you're interested: https://jeffzittrain.com/hope-is-the-weapon
Allison a wonderful piece. I’m attributing your passion for sports and democracy to our government class at McD many moons ago. Keep up the good work.
Oh my goodness so good to hear from you! That is definitely the root of my passion for spirited debate (and sports and democracy)
FYI: Tubi is a Murdock/ Fox owned service. Most likely mining your viewing habits and data.