Author : Thomas David Bunting
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438485689
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)
Book Synopsis Democracy at the Ballpark by : Thomas David Bunting
Download or read book Democracy at the Ballpark written by Thomas David Bunting and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2021-11-01 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the relationship between sports and politics? Often, politics are thought to be serious, whereas sports are diversionary and apolitical. Using baseball as a case study, Democracy at the Ballpark challenges this understanding, examining politics as they emerge at the ballpark around spectatorship, community, equality, virtue, and technology. Thomas David Bunting argues that because spectators invest time and meaning in baseball, the game has power as a metaphor for understanding and shaping politics. The stories people see in baseball mirror how they see the country, politics, and themselves. As a result, democracy resides not only in exclusive halls tread by elites but also in a stadium full of average people together under an open sky. Democracy at the Ballpark bridges political theory and sport, providing a new way of thinking about baseball. It also demonstrates the democratic potential of spectatorship and rethinks the role of everyday institutions like sport in shaping our political lives, offering an expanded view of democracy.