Redemption, Baseball and Unity
The 2021 World Champion Atlanta Braves have ascended to a modern version of "Field of Dreams"
This piece appeared as an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Nov. 9, 2021.
There are curious paradoxical definitions to the word tribal(ism). Most recently it has been used as a pejorative, characterizing the caustic tension between those choosing opposing sides in politics, identity and culture.
But dig deeper into the etymology of tribal and you’ll find a kinder, gentler connotation … when a city, region or country assumes pride and identity in its sports teams. Civic or national pride are viscerally tied to sports, a unifying bond that is almost unmatched in any other segment of society. Color, race, ideology, gender and other identities melt away as people join together to celebrate and rejoice the success of “their team.”
Such is the case with the Atlanta Braves.
Consider this: There was an election Tuesday to select a new mayor for the City of Atlanta. The turnout was stunningly low; less than 20 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. And note, though the city population is relatively small (pop. 440,000 est) Atlanta is the ninth largest metro area in the country (pop. 6 million). It is the key political office for this historic city considered the de facto capital of the South, which is faced with major urban problems.
Meantime, 800 miles to the west the Atlanta Braves won the World Series, shutting out the Houston Astros in Game 6, 7-0.
Today, tens of thousands of fans celebrated the Braves victory parade, which started downtown and ended at Truist Park in Cobb County. Meantime, next month there will be a runoff for the mayoral race between the top two candidates from Tuesday’s ballot.
The guess here is 99 percent of paraders do not know their names.
Baseball Ties
First, congratulations to the Braves. Although I claim no allegiance to the locals, I have indelible ties in the game. As many know, I worked in Major League Baseball for more than a dozen years with the San Diego Padres. But my love for baseball actually began in St. Louis, where I grew up as a Cardinals fan in the 1960s. To this day I still can name every member of the 1964 World Champions. It seems baseball is in my DNA.
Ties to the Braves? When Joe Torre was the Braves’ manager in the 80s, he would routinely call me in my Padres office for free passes to the Del Mar Turf Club. Braves outfielder Dale Murphy was always gracious with autograph requests. It was in the visitor’s clubhouse where I introduced myself to my childhood hero, the legendary Cardinals’ Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, when he was the Braves pitching coach. Finally, Braves manager Brian Snitker, then a minor league coach, sat with me and other families as our sons played high school football together a few years ago.
Tribal Controversy
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, is baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.” -- Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) (Film clip)
After Tuesday night, I am reminded of this memorable film monologue in our troubled times. So much political, social and cultural strife has erased part of America’s unity and its common bonds.
In fact, politics invaded baseball earlier in the year when MLB moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta and to Denver in protest over Georgia’s newly passed voting laws. Moral outrage from the outside world calcified and the Braves, the City of Atlanta and local businesses paid the price.
Moreover, during the World Series there were calls from national media regarding the Braves fans’ rally “Chop” and chant. As characteristic of moralistic hegemony, the “R” word was invoked in column and commentary during the Series, admonishing the franchise for perpetuating bigotry towards Native Americans.
It should be noted that locally, the “Chop” chant is rarely mentioned as an issue; it is a tradition, viewed as benign as any organ-led cheer or adopted song (see Boston Red Sox: “Sweet Caroline”).
Redemption
In light of these controversies, Mann’s speech resonates with hope and speaks to our resiliency. The ethereal film “Field of Dreams” (Universal 1989) spins a dewy-eyed story of redemption, born in a cathedral -- a baseball diamond -- carved out of a rural Iowa cornfield.
From Ray Kinsella’s (Kevin Costner) cornfield emerge the mystical figures of baseball’s past, featuring the long-dead and disgraced hero, Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta). The story unfolds from there, eventually realizing redemption for Kinsella, Mann and Jackson, as well as that of long-forgotten Archie “Moonlight'' Graham (Burt Lancaster).
Perhaps the Braves’ World Series win serves as some sort of redemption … for all of us. In Atlanta -- a metropolis synonymous with race relations, the past, cultural crossroads and diversity -- today is a celebration.
Today, everybody in Atlanta is a Braves fan.
Today, we are good again.
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