This is one of my favorite times of year because......it's baseball season! (A little side point: Yea Oregon Beavs for winning the college championships for the second year in a row!) And while I could probably rant and rave about things about major league sports (ie paychecks) and that I'm pretty sure they aren't using the most environmentally friendly products on their fields and that I'm sure a whole lot of not-good-for-YOU-and-the-environment food gets served at these events and a whole lot of waste happens due to each game, I still love baseball for a completely different set of principles. (And yes I know that was a massive run-on!)
So here goes: I love baseball because:
A) It teaches teamwork while still allowing for individual potential to come into play. A person has the potential to improve their abilities on an individual level (such as batting average) while still enjoying and benefiting from team playing. People on a team have to learn to trust each other, have to learn to take ownership, how to cope together, and really how to function as a family. Baseball allows for a functioning family unit to form between players. Players also learn to interact and respect others based on their ability to contribute and not necessarily to see another player in terms of an "ism". There should be no ageism, sexism, racism, etc. AND players also learn to listen and respond to advice from coaches and managers. Plus there are no exceptions: the rules are the rules and you learn to play by them or you don't play. However tomorrow is another day, another shot at winning.
B) Baseball gets played (generally) outside, which gets kids and adults alike enjoying the elements of being out in nature. If one watches a game in the stands they are experiencing the sun, the breeze, possibly drizzle (although baseball gets cancelled because of rain or bad weather conditions unlike some other sports!), and they are being exposed to fresh air. Players also are out in the elements on a daily basis-running through the grass, touching the dirt, breathing in the air.
C) Baseball is active! I'm an endorsed health teacher, of course I love sports because they get people moving! Blood is pumping, oxygen is flowing, calories are burning, muscles are building, and stress is subsiding.
D) Baseball can be played almost anywhere. While our idea of baseball is a stadium with proper seating, all it really takes are some random objects to represent bases, a stick, and something that can be hit and fly. One of the most touching things I have ever seen was an episode of poverty stricken children playing catch with a crumpled and tied up plastic bag.
E) Baseball, while based on English sports, has been the "national past time" of the U.S. for over a century and a half. What's the saying? Baseball is as American as apple pie? It is representative of us as a nation, which however brings me to my final point and my favorite!
F) Baseball is (now) MULTICULTURAL! It is the one sport that I can turn on and am guaranteed to see a variety of ethnicities on every team. Asians, African Americans, Mexicans, Latinos, Caucasions, Native Americans-all playing together, all engaged in equality, and really all depending on each other. The fact that some players speak different languages isn't an issue when they are speaking the language of baseball. The fact that some players have different backgrounds and cultures isn't an issue either. The fact that some players come from poverty, while other players grew up in families of wealth also doesn't inhibit. (And generally a lot of members from baseball teams are highly known for giving out of their excess.) So while baseball was started in the United States, it has spread and has become a tool for cultural and societal acceptance within our country.
So with great pleasure and thanks to the great insight of Jack Norworth:
"Take me out to the ball game,Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack, I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team, If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, At the old ball game."
P.S. Baseball is also about hope and not giving up: anyone who is a Mariners fan can surely understand that! :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment