Baseball and Rhetorics of Purity
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A01=Michael Butterworth
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
American exceptionalism
American identity
Author_Michael Butterworth
automatic-update
ballpark memories
baseball
Baseball and foreign policy
Baseball and nationalism
Baseball as public ritual
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=JBCC
Category=JFC
Category=SFC
Category=WSJT
Citizenship and exclusion
COP=United States
Cultural performance
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
Democracy
Democratic pluralism
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=0
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
eq_sports-fitness
innocence
Language_English
Media and sports narratives
National pastime mythology
Nostalgia and public memory
PA=To order
Political symbolism in sports
Post-911 patriotism
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
Rhetoric of purity
Rituals at the ballpark
softlaunch
Sport and rhetorical critique
Sports and ideology
Steroids and moral cleansing
War on Terror discourse
World Baseball Classic
Product details
- ISBN 9780817317102
- Weight: 513g
- Dimensions: 157 x 228mm
- Publication Date: 13 Aug 2010
- Publisher: The University of Alabama Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
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Baseball has long been considered America’s “national pastime,” touted variously as a healthy diversion, a symbol of national unity, and a model of democratic inclusion. But, according to Michael Butterworth, such favorable rhetoric belies baseball’s complicity in the rhetorical construction of a world defined by good and evil. Baseball and Rhetorics of Purity is an investigation into the culture and mythology of baseball, a study of its limits and failures, and an invitation to remake the game in a more democratic way. It pays special attention to baseball’s role in the reconstruction of American identity after September 11, 2001. This study is framed by a discussion that links the development of baseball to the discourses of innocence and purity in 19th-century America. From there, it examines ritual performances at baseball games; a traveling museum exhibit sponsored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum; the recent debate about the use of performance-enhancing drugs; the return of Major League Baseball to Washington, D.C., in 2005; and the advent of the World Baseball Classic in 2006. Butterworth argues that by promoting myths of citizenship and purity, post-9/11 discourse concerning baseball ironically threatens the health of the democratic system and that baseball cannot be viewed as an innocent diversion or escape. Instead, Butterworth highlights how the game on the field reflects a more complex and diverse worldview, and makes a plea for the game’s recovery, both as a national pastime and as a site for celebrating the best of who we are and who we can be.
