The introduction of the radio, the television, the internet, and now social media like twitter has allowed for more people to be connected to events around the world. Technology has played (and obviously still plays) a huge role in projecting ones ideas to the mass public.
David F. Venturo stated in his essay on Baseball and Material Culture in the Cambridge companion to baseball that, "radio and television broadcasting, which owners adopted by fits and starts, and with varying degrees of enthusiasm and understanding of their potential, made the game available over distances of hundreds, even thousands, of miles to millions of people who had never visited a ballpark" (Cassuto and Partridge 139). Further, this idea that baseball could be more personal even when it was hundreds of miles away is very progressive. Broadcasting a baseball game on television not only allows for people to see the players play the game, but it also allows people to form opinions about specific players based on what they see and hear.
Specifically, technology and media has allowed baseball players to create a name for themselves to the public eye. This presentation of the self can be good or bad and I am not debating that all baseball players present themselves appropriately or even a version of their true self. I am however, always pleased when a professional athlete does something to benefit someone other than him or her self. Children so often look up to professional athletes as inspirational figures, or someone they strive to be like when they grow up. Therefore when a professional athlete has the courage to stand up for something they are passionate about, children, through technological advancements, can learn quickly about these athletes and hopefully strive to be like them.
The Detriot Tigers relief pitcher, Phil Coke was bullied and harassed as a child, long before he entered the major leagues. Monday, at a hearing for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence in Detroit, was among other panelists who testified to help prevent and reduce children's exposure to violence. Policy recommendations will be presented to Holder later this year. What led Phil Coke to sit among other panelists to help the Attorney General's Defending Childhood Initiative? As a child Coke was often provoked into fighting by bullies and just bullied in general as a young child. Most importantly Detroit U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade "stopped him in the hallway to thank him [after Coke's testimony] and stated 'What you're doing is so important... kids will listen to you.'" Aware of his impact and stature as a Major League player, Coke wanted to use this to help increase awareness about bullying (Hunter, Detroit News).
The idea that baseball has become more personal through technology and has been able to reach more people quickly is visible in the story of Phil Coke. In making the decision to promote himself in a positive light, hopefully more children will look up to him not only as a great baseball player, but also as a strong human willing to fight back when being bullied.
Honestly, I would call BULLSHIT on Phil, but he basically does it himself. He clearly states, "when I was in the first grade, I got into a fight with a fifth-grader who was messing with my older brother, who was in the third grade." This implies that he was big enough, two years younger than his brother, to defend- his older brother! His brother was being bullied; a first grader who can even stand up to a fifth grader is a phenomenon (When I was in first grade, I can swear that the fifth graders were well over seven feet tall).
ReplyDeleteCoke was never bullied. He is doing this campaign for PR reasons. I think that this is great and I would love to think that Coke was an individual who did not bully other kids. And actually, I think there is a wonderful chance he did not.
Baseball changed for our generation. I was class of '06 and played for my high school baseball team. Funny thing was, baseball was not the "popular" spring sport. All those kids played lacrosse. It's pretty cool, if you like a game that can be mastered in one season.
Point being, these days, at least where I come from (NY), the "cool" kids aren't playing baseball. I'm obviously speaking from a very limited scope, but as far as I could see (transferring between three high schools in the Northeast), baseball guys were nice. The LAX dudes were friends to some, but ultimately chose the sport because it was weight-room-heavy in training. They were just trying to get bigger for football. Not that that inherently made them douchebags, but it did eliminate the "biggest" douchebags from the squad. We were really a nice bunch of guys, the baseball team. And none of us made it pro.
I agree with your statement though. As popular culture seems to blend with sports (and face specific sports such as baseball) there is a higher responsibility put upon players. Being in such a limelight, there voices truly to carry farther than others can. The disappointing truth however, is that players use this focus for all the wrong reasons. Tabloids and DUI's and drugs is all you hear about when speaking about athletes off the field. It would be great for our society if more players talked and spoke out about what they feel is wrong. Good for Phil Coke.
ReplyDeleteReguardless of what really happened to Phil Coke as a child, I like to see baseball players trying to show themselves in a positive light. And although this may be for publicity, does it really matter as long as he is trying to help children? Children will look up to him and follow after his actions whether we like it or not, so I'm glad to see that he is spreading a positve, anti-bullying message.
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