Baseball has been widely known as the great American pastime. Although over the years this statement may not be as true, it would be hard to tell when watching a baseball movie. There have been countless movies about the great sport of baseball, with some focusing on the success of a certain historic player, a fictional character, a romance mixed in with baseball, and your common comedic/kids baseball movie. Most of these movies are reflected in our daily lifestyle, even though it may be hidden. These movies reflect on our culture here in America as well, and what we value.
The biggest way Baseball movies reflect on our culture is through romance. Romance is seen daily in real life, and there is typically a love interest in these films. The
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A good example of this is how in today's society, everyone expects to win. We live in the participation ribbon era where everyone expects to win something no matter what place they are awarded, and baseball movies have covered this very well. In recent films about Baseball, it has become a recurring theme that even after a loss, the player or team receives some kind of consolation prize. No one can accept just losing and coming back even better to win, whether it's in real life or in movies. I feel that baseball films in the later years were more focused on the player or team making a comeback, not being rewarded some type of 'you did good' prize. This also reflects on our culture, but how we used to be. People from older generations are usually complaining to younger folk about how much tougher their generation was, how they could take a punch and get back up. Baseball motion pictures showed this in movies such as Bull Durham, where the main character still stays in the minor leagues and unfortunately with a new team. The movie did not go out with a feel good theme of him finally making it to the majors or some storyline of that likeness.
Baseball movies as a whole represent our culture much more than we may think, and while watching most ordinary films you will see a resemblance of everyday real life reflected. Throughout
The first movie I watched was A League of Their Own (1992). It is set primarily in 1943 and features a number of well-known actors such as Tom Hanks as manager Jimmy Dugan, Rosie O’Donnell as 3rd base Doris Murphy, and even Madonna as center fielder Mae Mordabito. The film starts with a scene from the present of an older Dottie Hinson, played by Lynn Cartwright, reluctantly getting ready to attend the induction of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Once there she sees a number of her former friends. A flashback to 1943 is where the majority of the movie is set.
In terms of racial inequality in baseball there have been many eras of integration. Baseball originally is seen as America’s national game belonging to the white men of America. However, throughout history there have been steps taken in recognizing and integrating those groups deemed “less favorable” by the American community. These groups include German immigrants, Irish immigrants, African Americans, Latinos, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and Asians. America used the game of baseball as a tool to indoctrinate the American ideals and values of teamwork, working hard, and collaborating for the greater good into the cultures of the “uncivilized world.” These groups used baseball as a medium to gain acceptance into the American community as racially equal counterparts.
Baseball has been of the longest living sports in our world today. The game started with the idea of a stick and ball and now has become one of the most complex sports known in our society. Several rules and regulations have been added to help enhance the game for everyone. Although baseball has endured several issues during its history and development of the game the game has still been a success throughout the world.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the team moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. I think that this is really
doing what baseball teams have be doing for a hundred years. The Athletics as a whole are very methodical following different procedures depending on the time of year. We see this right away in the movie, we go from the losing game straight into offseason activities. Talking about what players to get to fill holes in the lineup and how to structure the team for next season. Once training camp and the season starts the organization switches into improving and working with players on their current roster. Only trading or acquiring new players when it is needed, they set that aspect of the game aside for the season. Throughout the whole year they will try to develop their team and win games until the offseason come and they will begin the process
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Major League Baseball, much like the majority of other American institutions, was racially segregated. A color barrier was implemented during baseball’s infancy in order to separate people of different race to cater to the white American players. The color barrier was an unofficial “rule” that hindered those with dark skin from playing baseball for Major League teams. The color barrier was enforced by preventing any teams with a colored player from competing at the professional level. Many team owners, umpires, and players justified their opposition to allowing blacks to play by declaring that only whites could uphold the "gentlemanly character" of professional baseball. Others argued that excluding blacks would prevent future racial resentment between the ethnicities, as players of different races would be competing for the same job opportunities.
Baseball has for a long time been a staple in the American sporting culture as baseball and America have grown up together. Exploring the different ages and stages of American society, reveals how baseball has served as both a public reflection of, and vehicle for, the evolution of American culture and society. Many American ways including our landscapes, traditional songs, and pastimes all bear the mark of a game that continues to be identified with America's morals and aspirations. In this paper I will be addressing the long residuals of baseball as it specifically relates to the emergence of the American nation and its principles of nationalism. This is a particularly important issue because baseball seems to be a perfect representative system having many comparative analogies to the larger system of development, America. Since the sport first emerged, baseball and America have shared the same values, responded to the same events, and struggled with the same social and economic issues. To learn of the ideals concerning the sport of baseball in America, is to know the heart and mind of America.
One of my favorite movies growing up was “The Sandlot.” It’s a coming of age story of a group of neighborhood boys, who love to play baseball. The movie is set in the early 1960s, and spans the length of one summer. The Sandlot boys spent the summer playing baseball, getting into trouble and learning the true meaning of friendship. Of course, in the movies, whenever there is a rag-tag group, there is always the elite group. One afternoon, the elite baseball players in their nice white, Los Angeles Angels’ jerseys, challenge the rag-tag team to a baseball game. One of the most memorable scenes was when Hamilton “Ham” Porter tells the other boys on the team that, “You play ball like a girl.” This was considered
Baseball: it can’t be perfected no matter how much money you have or how many superstars you have. It can only be played by pitching, hitting, and knowing the game. If you were to think of a word to try and sum up the game, I bet you wouldn’t come up with the word intangible, meaning unable to be touched or grasped. Baseball is one of the most spread out sports throughout the world, especially in Japan, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Some sports like football try to be unique, but why would you want to be unique, when you can play the same way as hundreds of other countries and play against them like in the World Baseball Classic, which is an international series every four years against countries all over the world.
With about 83 players currently to in the MLB, 682 players since 1950, and so far 2 players in the Hall of Fame with much more to get inducted, it’s clear that the Dominican Republic dominates the game of baseball. In the Dominican Republic, baseball is the country’s pastime and official sport. Baseball doesn’t discriminate, regardless of gender, race, and economic status. In my personal view, baseball runs in the blood and embedded in the genetic coding of Dominicans. As a person whose mother and father are Dominican and born and raised in Miami, there seems to be little to nothing that connects me to their culture. Nonetheless, this Miami-born Dominican- American is proud to say that the sport I love the most can connect me to the Dominican
Baseball and football are very popular in America Sports today. Some people think that baseball is just a laid back sport and just boring then other people say football is better because it is more physical and harder and it's a man's game. But that is not true because it comes down to the mental and the physical part of the game baseball over rules all of that.
A travel of over 3000 miles for some, a 210 mile drive for me, just to arrive at the biggest gathering of over 1,500 twelve year olds; all just to play baseball. The only place that would be suitable for such an event is Cooperstown Dream Parks, every baseball players heaven. Cars have come to Cooperstown from everywhere for this week long tournament. I met children my age from all over the United states. I became friends with kids from Ohio, Illinois, California, I even met a player from Puerto Rico who barely spoke any english. The windows of everyone 's car decorated with the names and numbers of teams and players. Excited baseball teams spill from their Barracks and hustle toward the already crowded seating area. Festive music played over
Baseball was first introduced into the American culture, by English immigrants in the early 18th century, and its popularity slow grew. It wasn’t until the Civil War the popularity of the game spread, and both Union and Confederate soldiers played baseball during lulls in the fighting. After Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, soldiers from both the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) and the Army of the Potomac (Union) played baseball. (Schackelford Jul 4, 2009) This was the beginning of the American people love of Baseball began. It was also the first mention of baseball being the national game. During the bloodiest war in our countries history Baseball was there to help the two sides heal. It was another fourteen years till 1879 when Football would be invented.
‘Field of Dreams’ is a diversified script that constantly evolves, but mainly revolves around the game of baseball, ‘the greatest game ever invented’. The game that according to some avid spectators, completely and thoroughly transcends and binds the country to past, present, and future--generation to generation. In this movie this national pastime represents an avenue that finds the connection to the soul of a great audience; somehow insinuating that baseball acts as a means of fulfilling individual spiritual needs. These needs are that of a ‘sense of belonging’, a need to participate in sport, either vicariously as a spectator or directly as a participant. Moreover the desire to engage in distraction and play may be intrinsic to the human psyche. The theme throughout the movie was based on the legendary story of the Chicago White Sox of 1919, where the question was raised on the issue of the team’s “sportsmanship” and the ethical behavior of several teammates during the World Series. This left the image of America’s most idolized team tarnished and lead up to a ban of eight players from the sport; for an ‘unsportsmanlike’ like conduct in the series. The public view of the game up until then was that of perfection, it was clean and straight; but afterwards, the lack of fair play especially coming from such highly ranked players, ended up affecting fans’ enthusiasm for the entire sport. As the movie nears its ending, Robinson evolved on the concept of having utterly devoted fans and as if in a mystified manner drew them in to this already mystical place, just to have them see the most idolized team of ‘the golden age’ play once again.
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.