When Baseball Isn’t White, Straight and Male
The Media and Difference in the National Pastime
$29.95
In stock
About the Book
This book analyzes how sportswriters have discussed issues of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual identity, age and class within professional baseball from 1998 to the present. Each chapter looks at the media representations of a specific controversy—the 1998 home-run chase, Alex Rodríguez’s historic contract signing, Barry Bonds’ home runs, Mike Piazza’s “I am not gay” press conference, Effa Manley’s Hall of Fame induction, the celebration of Jackie Robinson’s legacy, as well as the various incidents involving performance-enhancing drugs. The author puts it together and reveals what messages are being conveyed by the issues.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Lisa Doris Alexander
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 200
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7113-3
eISBN: 978-0-7864-9238-1
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Introduction 5
1 Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and the Politics of Race and Nationality 11
2 “Out” on the Field: Homosexuality and Our National Pastime 31
3 The $25 Million Man: Alex Rodríguez, Objectification and Money 50
4 Effa Manley and the Politics of Passing 70
5 Barry Bonds and the Pursuit of Dap 84
6 It’s the End of the World as We Know It: Race and Forgiveness in the Era of Performance-Enhancing Drugs 117
7 Who Are We Celebrating, Anyway? Major League Baseball and the Honoring of Jackie Robinson 139
Conclusions 154
Chapter Notes 159
Suggested Reading 176
Bibliography 178
Index 193
Book Reviews & Awards
- Finalist, SABR Analytics Research Award
- “A valuable addition…highly recommended”—Choice
- “Alexander makes an important argument, applying contemporary theory dealing with race, ethnicity, and gender to the world of major league baseball, and her occasionally controversial stance provides a great deal of food for thought.”—Roberta Newman, New York University
