This past weekend I found myself at Progressive Field for an Indians-Royals game. I should confess two things: 1. I love sports and 2. That love does not apply to baseball. But my boyfriend LOVES baseball and it was an easy stop through Cleveland on our way back to the Bend after the Fourth of July. But, what struck me, as I was sitting there munching on my brat and sipping my beer, was that it’s not really baseball that is America’s pastime, it’s sports.
Think about it, what do we as Notre Dame students love most about the fall? It’s not going back to school and seeing all of our friends (though that’s absolutely one of the best parts), it’s knowing that football season is about to begin. You don’t even have to like football to love the experience. Every home game weekend is full of tailgating, parties, family and friends, tradition, pep rallies and football. But at the end of the weekend, though football is what brings us all together, a home game weekend is about so much more than football. It’s just like Terry Pratchet said, “The thing about football–the important thing about football–is that it is not just about football.”
I said I love sports and I do, but what I really love is the experience of watching a game. I love filing into the football stadium to cheer with the other 80,794 fans at the game. But I also love knowing that outside those hallowed brick walls lay thousands of other fans all across the world gathered together for the same reason. Sports aren’t just about the love of the sport or the love of the game, they are about identity and rivalries and tradition. They are about love and dedication and passion.
Sports Fever:
I witness that love for sports again and again. This year sports fever is especially prevalent with the Winter Olympics and now with the World Cup. This winter, my roommate and I hosted an opening ceremonies party for the Olympics. We turned on the TV, designed Olympic themed treats and games, and gloried in experience of international competition. Our binge watching of the games led to the formation of a Co-Rec curling team and daily evening updates about what had happened throughout the day.
The frenzy was infectious, but it wasn’t about any one game. Americans love sports. We love competition. And we also love winning. But we don’t just watch sports because we know we’re going to win. We watch for the stories, like the Jamaican bobsled team’s journey to Sochi. And we watch for the ‘what just happened moments,’ like Germany annihilating home favorite Brazil 7-1 in the world cup. That was a game for the history books. Even if you weren’t watching, I’m sure you heard about it and have talked about it.
The Hometown Connection:
Independence Day always stirs up my American patriotism. And with America on my mind and a baseball game in front of me this past weekend, I couldn’t help but think that sports are the American pastime. Whether you go because you love the sport, like my boyfriend who was visiting his home stadium for the first time in a decade, or you go for the experience like I do, it doesn’t matter. It’s impossible not to find yourself swept up in the fervor of a sporting event.
I think the beauty of sports comes from the fact that it is such a unifying force. No matter where you come from, you probably have some hometown loyalty and as you move and grow, you may develop more, but you never forget your roots. I grew up in Buffalo, one of America’s great heartbreak cities when it comes to sports, but it has never stopped me from hoping for a Sabres Stanley Cup or praying that someday I’ll be able to say more about the Bills and the Super Bowl than “I was born after one of the four consecutive Super Bowls we lost.” The same is true of being a Notre Dame fan or a Blackhawks fan or a Cardinals fan. It’s great when your team wins, but your love goes deeper than that.
Baseball as the Microcosm of the American Pastime:
Baseball as we know it, with modern rules, was first played in the 1840s. In the mid-1850s, a baseball craze swept New York City. Local journals started referring to it as the “national pastime” and by the mid 1860s, baseball had achieved national popularity thanks to the Civil War. There were numerous struggles between amateur and professional leagues, but by 1902 the National League and the American League had been formed. The two leagues began to meet in a postseason championship, now known as the World Series, which began in 1903.
This mini history of baseball (many thanks to Wikipedia for the help with years and facts) is a microcosm of what we love about Sports. It started out small and local, gained popularity, became a national love and throughout numerous struggles, between players, owners, and coaches, baseball thrived. It weathered wars and union struggles, survived through money problems and corruption, and even created national heroes and icons. Tell me, what’s more American than that? The history of baseball is the history of American sports and America itself. It struggled with racism, war and adversity, but it persevered and thrived on challenges.
I don’t love baseball, but I love what baseball represents. Though baseball may be called the great American pastime, I think sports are the true American pastime. So when you find yourself watching the final two games of the world cup, or attending the next Notre Dame home football game, or perhaps even cheering your team on as they chase their Stanley Cup dreams, look around. Take a moment to bask in the experience you are sharing with thousands of other fans across the country and around the world. In that moment, take a minute to appreciate being a part of the tradition, the adversity, the passion and the pride that is the foundation of sports.
The Passion and Pastime:
No matter who you cheer for or where you are watching the game, realize the incredible nature of our American pastime. Sure, loving sports isn’t just an American passion, but we take our dedication to an almost unprecedented level. Our love is not limited to one game, but to sports as a whole. Though we seek victory and glory in a long storied rivalry, we are united by our love of competition and the ever-present promise that even if we do not win today, we can always win tomorrow.
Sports are the true American pastime. It’s just as W. P. Kinsella wrote in Shoeless Joe, “Any game becomes important when you know and love the players.” And in America, no matter which of our teams is playing, we know and love the players, because sports aren’t just our pastime, they are our passion.
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