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Chargement... The American Game: Baseball and Ethnicity (Writing Baseball)par Professor Lawrence Baldassaro
Aucun Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre.  NoLongerAtEase | Sep 23, 2008 |  aucune critique | ajouter une critique
These nine essays selected by Lawrence Baldassaro and Richard A. Johnson present an ethnic and racial profile of American baseball. These essayists show how the gradual involvement by various ethnic and racial groups reflects the changing nature of baseball-and of American society as a whole-over the course of the twentieth century. Although the sport could not truly be called representative of America until after Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947, fascination with the ethnic backgrounds of the players began more than a century ago when athletes of German and Irish descent entered the major leagues in large numbers. In the 1920s, commentators noted the influx of ballplayers of Italian and Slavic origins and wondered why there were not more Jewish players in the big leagues. The era following World War II, however, saw the most dramatic ethnographic shift with the belated entry of African American ballplayers. The pattern of ethnic succession continues as players of Hispanic and Asian origin infuse fresh excitement and renewal into the major leagues. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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 Google Books — Chargement...GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)796.357The arts Recreational and performing arts Athletic and outdoor sports and games Ball sports Ball and stick sports BaseballClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne: (3.5)
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The essays vary in quality, but most are at least decent in terms of readability and almost all are informative.. The high point is Jules Tygiel's insightful piece on the origin and development of the Negro leagues which should be read by anyone interest in baseball history.
Thankfully, although the authors are almost all professional historians and sociologists, there is very little emphasis on the academic holy trinity (race, class, gender), especially considering that this is a book ABOUT race and ethnicity. Most of the authors avoid any overt politicizing in their analysis which is welcome and, unfortunately, unexpected (given the disciplines involved).
For the most part we just learn heretofore unmentioned facts about interesting things like the number of Hispanics in pro ball during the 20s and how nicknaming practices changed among German ethnics. This is great, albeit rather nerdy, stuff for any baseball aficionado or amateur historian.
One notable exception is the chapter on Asian-Americans by Joel S. Franks. This chapter actually reads like a caricature of what we've come to expect from academic trinitarians. Franks indignantly opines about the tribulations of Asian immigrants via a spate of post modernist bullshit. Still, that a collection of essays by contemporary academic social theorists and historians contains only one unintelligible essay is a rather remarkable feat in and of itself. (