If They Don't Win It's a Shame
A question for you sports fans out there with a ruminative bent:
Why does baseball lend itself so easily to metaphor? Why do writers who don't always write about sports write about baseball? What's different about it than other team sports?
In sum, baseball; what's up with that?
Why does baseball lend itself so easily to metaphor? Why do writers who don't always write about sports write about baseball? What's different about it than other team sports?
In sum, baseball; what's up with that?
posted by Unknown at 11:38 AM
7 Comments:
History. Until recently, it was THE game, and thus, its metaphors were already thick in American culture and easy to pluck for shared understanding.
I don't think it's necessarily anything inherent in the sport. As this generation grows, I imagine it will shift to American football.
Words by W.P. Kinsella. From the film Field of Dreams.
People will come, Ray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SB16il97yw&feature=related
I heard yesterday on NPR that it's an even bigger obsession in Venezuela. If you could get a Venezuelan to answer your question, I'd like to hear the answer.
I also agree that it's history plus exposure. For half of the year, baseball is played almost every day. You often can't escape it even if you wanted to!
Maybe because it is one of the more ruminative of the popular sports? There is a lot of time during each inning to transcend the game on the field towards other places/ideas. Not as much time during football and basketball.
ChrisinNY
The great baseball writers grew up listening to the game on the radio. It's a whole different game when you have to provide the picture yourself. Nurtures the old imagineering muscles don't ya know. lakedog
I think because people listened to baseball on the radio, the announcers were skilled in metaphor to create a visual for the listeners.
For the best baseball writing ever, read Roger Angell.
I have a couple of thoughts on your question.
Firstly, baseball is an extremely nostalgic sport. Listening to games on the radio as a child or standing on the other side of the baseball field fence trying to catch a fly ball are all things I have heard different writers talking about.
Baseball is a thinking man's sport. It is slower yet calculated.
It's a team and an individual sport.
I love it because my son does and when he's home from college, he will turn on a game and ask me to watch with him. THAT is what makes it an amazing game for me.
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