A thread: One theme in my Baseball in American Narratives class is the feedback loop between fictional and actual baseball. Films like The Natural, Major League, and especially Field of Dreams become part of the real-world major and minor league game. 1/7
Teams show film clips on the video boards, souvenirs reference fictional characters, the music from The Natural blares during a slugger's home-run trot. Some minor league teams in Iowa had bullpens sponsored by corn seed companies, and relievers emerged from the corn . . . 2/7
Obviously, tonight's Field of Dreams game between the White Sox and the Yankees is the apotheosis of this phenomenon. It connects with another class theme: the "pure game" versus the game as a business. MLB monetizing the sentiment(ality) associated with Field of Dreams . . . 3/7
Is perhaps the maximum expression of this conflict, and its inevitable resolution: baseball is a business that sells itself as a pure game, and as the site of emotional generational connections. These sentiments are ALWAYS Right Wing (hippie repents to conservative dad). 4/7
But: the Field of Dreams movie site was a rare thing, a folk phenomenon & not particularly profitable(until the farm family owners finally sold); MLB has co-opted it just like the Wrigley Rooftop owners took folk culture of a few lawn chairs & a beer cooler and monetized it. 5/7
As a scholar of this stuff, I really ought to watch tonight; but as a fan of the game, I feel repelled by the hijacking of genuine emotion by Rob Manfred and his TV-media vulture co-conspirators. I visited the site a few weeks ago, and in conclusion: 6/7
I really hope they have paved the driveways that lead to the movie site and the "major league" ballpark. 8,000 fans tromping on dirt & gravel driveways will throw up a pall of dust and grit that might cause as many teary eyes as playing catch with Dad. 7/7
I think this thread might be of interest to you: @buckweaver @ckamka @OldHossRadbourn @PWSullivan @GDubCub @NiseiLounge @Russ_Dorsey1 @M_Montemurro @craigcalcaterra @shoelessmuseum
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