It's hard to imagine one set of those things without the other. I could just as easily do the same with football. When something like baseball or football plays such a large role in society, the game and society can't continue to be separate. Board games like Monopoly or Scrabble don't have a whole nationally recognized and associated culture with them, the game is separate from everything else. Baseball isn't separate. The actual gameplay and the culture associated with it are one, they are inseparable.
I challenge people to try and separate the two. You just can't and there's no reason to want to.
I agree, both baseball and football are more of cultural icons as opposed to just games. Going to see a baseball or football game becomes a full event that takes up most of a day or evening. One doesn't just go to these games to watch, you go for the experience attached to the game itself. Buying crackerjack and jerseys at baseball games is a no-brainer. I am pretty sure I have never gone to a baseball or football game and just sat. There are cheers, dancing, songs and a bunch of fans yelling at each other. Society and these games become intertwined and they mesh together more each season. Great post.-Nicole Thompson Guild 132
ReplyDeleteI agree with both posts and think that this is what makes these sports so special. Personally, I am not a huge baseball fan as it is up there for one of the slowest and most uneventful sports there is. Even without being a huge baseball fan, I absolutely love going to the park because of the cultural experience that you both described. Baseball itself just doesn't do it for me and watching a game on TV is a challenge, but going the game with some buddies is one of my favorite things to do and that is because of the prominent culture that comes to life at every ball park in this country (almost every ball park).
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