Written by This week in the United States we welcome back our national pastime, the sport of baseball. I know, there are some people who may argue that American football should be the national pastime, however, I’m sorry to tell those folks this, but baseball has that locked down. To quote a line from James Earl Jones’ character Terrance Mann in the movie Field of Dreams, “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.”
Like the quote says, baseball has been a constant through the years. It is played in streets, sandlots, stadiums, parks, and backyards by kids of all ages. People become fans of their hometown teams wearing hats, t-shirts, or jerseys of their favorite players. They relish in the rivalries between teams, take part in crowd events like “the wave,” and fans of all ages will bring their baseball gloves to games in the hope of catching an errant foul ball or home run.
Sure, there have been scandals in baseball, in fact, I wrote about one here as one of my first pieces for Culture in Sports. There have been good times, bad times, great players, not-so-great players, winners and losers, examples of poor sportsmanship, and examples of great sportsmanship. Baseball has been able to rally cities, and in some cases, the entire nation, around specific causes. In 2013, when the city of Boston was subjected to a terrorist attack during the Boston Marathon, baseball came together under the slogan, “Boston Strong,” to support a city that was hurting and show solidarity against those who would seek to terrorize others. Baseball has also been a means to allow people to escape from the problems of the day, even if it’s only for a few hours at a time.
Give yourself permission this week to take a few hours and relax in a pastime you enjoy. If that means watching a baseball game on television, then go for it. If you can afford to go see a game in person, while maintaining appropriate safety measures of course, and have a hot dog and beverage of choice, all while enjoy watching America’s then more power to you. After all that we have all gone through over the last year, we need a reprieve from the stressors we are all facing, and if baseball can help do that for us, all the better. If you are feeling overwhelmed with all you have going on, take a moment to step back, catch your breath, call a friend or loved one, and enjoy some time for self-care, you deserve it.