Last weekend my oldest son (a baseball fanatic) and I (a baseball fan) attended the semifinals and finals of the World Baseball Classic in San Diego. Besides being a wonderful time of father/son bonding (even at ages 58 and 31 respectively) it was also a lesson in creating community.
Imagine this: The first truly international competition featuring "America's National Pastime" led to a final between Japan and Cuba, the latter team requiring some kind of federal dispensation to even cross our borders. Pehaps more perplexing, the team of America's major league superstars didn't even make the final four--surely a blow to our assumed dominance of the game.
But here's the thing. Sports bars were filled with people of diverse ethnicities and languages, all of them chattering in a babel of baseball. Many Americans held $70 tickets to a final in which they anticipated seeing Derek Jeter and Roger Clemens. But now they were cheering for the same team as Fidel Castro, or for players with long names they couldn't begin to pronounce. The stands were filled with Koreans and Dominicans, Cubans and Japanese, many of them now with "American" as a suffix following their native country's name.
But in the midst of the waving national flags and the handcrafted multilingual posters there was something magic happening out there. Historic enemies and contemporary foes toed the rubber or stepped up to the plate. It wasn't about politics or tribes or military threat. It was the high hard one on the inside corner that held everyone's attention.
It's only a game. Keep repeating it over and over. It's only a game.
Of course the real question is will you support the rolling roof for Kauffman Stadium? It is interesting how sports can tie a metro area together as well.
ReplyDeleteMy baseball heart makes me less than rational on the subject, Todd. I'll vote yes, but I think it was easier for the Cuban and Japanese teams to find common ground than it will be for the factions in Kansas City.
ReplyDeleteTodd's question exposes my own conflicted response to the rolling roof issue. Today's KC Star tells us that if the roof issue passes but the renovation issue fails, the roof cannot be built. So I want to vote against the roof and for the renovations. But the PR people tell us that if both items are not passed we will lose both teams, and our sports image will sink into oblivion and our Metro economy will suffer. If Kansas' sports fans who are a major component of any typical crowd at sports events were willing to pay their fair share for this immense financial investment I'd feel better about voting "yes" on either or both of the issues.
ReplyDeleteThe "community seat" of your three-legged stool may fail to materialize, partly because of the sheer disproportionate economic burdens (Jackson County taxpayers) and benefits (busines, tourism, and commercial interests) accruing to these extremely diverse parties in the larger metro community. Living on fixed pension income, I am priced right out of sitting under that roof, or umbrella at any event. So I will miss the blessings of the baseball and football communities forming there at any given event.
On the other hand, my tax investments will rise to help ease the burden of those who have the means to be there. In the end I guess I'll try to rejoice that I can pour more tax dollars into "keeping the teams" for the enjoyment and financial weal of those who can afford to attend.
So, with some trepidation about my Jackson County "community's" economic security, including my own, my votes will likely be "yes" on both stadium issues. I would, however, appreciate receiving a thank you card from some of the Mission Hills, Kansas sports fans. They could drop them in the mail on their way to or from the renovated, sheltered stadium complex.
Well--until baseball fixes its economic house, is it worth having the Royals around? (I know I hate even thinking that!) Are teams like Detroit and Kansas City ever going to come close to their great years in the 80's? I don't think a rolling roof is going to put us any closer to that happening. I wish we could negotiate with MLB and get something more than an All-Star game out of this vote.
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