Race on First, Class on Second, Gender on Third, and Sexuality up to Bat: Intersectionality and Power in Major League Baseball, 1995 - 2005
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RACE ON FIRST, CLASS ON SECOND, GENDER ON THIRD, AND SEXUALITY UP TO BAT: INTERSECTIONALITY AND POWER IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, 1995 - 2005 Lisa Doris Alexander A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2006 Committee: Dr. Philip Terrie, Advisor Dr. Katherine A. Bradshaw Graduate Faculty Representative Dr. Vikki Krane Dr. Nancy Spencer ii ABSTRACT Philip Terrie, Advisor Baseball, in one form or another, has existed in the United States for well over one hundred years, and during that time it has become an important part of the nation’s history and culture. Because of its long–standing presence, baseball has helped to create and maintain national sensibilities on a variety of topics, including race, class, gender, and sexuality through the use of symbolism and imagery. This study will utilize elements from Black Feminist Thought, Critical Race Theory (CRT), and Latina/o Critical Theory (LatCrit) to explore white privilege as well as the ways in which power relationships are structured by the axes of race, ethnicity, class, gender, nationality, and sexuality within Major League Baseball (MLB). Relying on textual analysis as well as Susan Birrell and Mary McDonald’s notion of reading sport critically, this dissertation analyzes the cultural meanings of four salient moments from the 1995 through the 2005 season to determine their cultural meanings which in turn will illustrate the persistence of racism, sexism, heterosexism, etc., in MLB and American culture overall. The four moments include the 1998 home–run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, the focus on Mike Piazza’s and Kazuhiro Tadano’s sexual orientation, Alex Rodriguez’s contract worth approximately $25 million annually for ten years, and Barry Bonds’ record–breaking seasons from 2001 through 2005. This study asks the questions: how does each incident illuminate the different ways in which power operates in MLB; how do the ways in which power operates amidst these events help to create and maintain national sensibilities iii regarding race, class, gender construction, sexual orientation, nationality, and age; and how is the operation of power in MLB made visible or rendered invisible by the media in their handling of each incident? iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I would like to thank my mom, Doris Alexander, for her unconditional love, support (both financial and emotional), as well as her stubborn desire to see me graduate. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my dissertation committee: Dr. Phil Terrie who guided me through the process while patiently enduring my penchant for comma splices, as well as Drs. Nancy Spencer, Vikki Krane, and Kathy Bradshaw for wading through endless drafts and offering their valuable insight. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Don McQuarie, ACS program director and Gloria Enriquez Pizaña for their administrative assistance. I would like to thank Tony Miller for talking baseball with me and allowing me to live vicariously through him; Heather Surface for always letting me vent, even if it was long–distance; Tony Avruch for explaining theory to me and offering sound advice; Julie O’Reilly for validating the amount of time I spend in front of the television set and showing everyone that there is a light at the end of the tunnel; Stevie Tuszynski for introducing me to new, and much needed avenues of procrastination; Stefan Hall and Charlie Cuthbertson for being the pop culture gods they are; and Dustin Tahmahkera for enduring my long–winded and whiny email messages. I would like to express my gratitude to the faculty and staff at Willamette University for providing the resources I needed to complete this dissertation. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Gretchen Flesher Moon for her grammar, punctuation, and proofreading wizardry. In addition, I must thank Dean Carol Long as well as Drs. Emily Drew, Alison Butler, Ken Nolley and Thabiti Lewis for their support and cheerleading efforts. Finally I would like to thank the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox for Grinder Rule #17: never be satisfied with what you have achieved – it pales in comparison to what you can achieve. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Dusty, for just being Dusty. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................... 1 Conceptual Foundations............................................................................................. 2 Critical Race Theory and Latina/o Critical Theory ................................................... 10 White Privilege.......................................................................................................... 12 Methodology: Reading Sport Critically..................................................................... 15 Research Questions.................................................................................................... 18 Literature Review....................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER II. MARK MCGWIRE, SAMMY SOSA, AND THE POLITICS OF RACE AND NATIONALITY…….. .......................................................................................................... 38 Politics & Baseball..................................................................................................... 41 Prelude to the 1998 Season........................................................................................ 43 Bootstraps & Banana Republics ................................................................................ 45 The Sidekick Stereotype ............................................................................................ 50 The American vs. The Foreigner ............................................................................... 54 #62………………...................................................................................................... 57 Performance–Enhancing Drugs Part One .................................................................. 61 Postscript to the 1998 Season .................................................................................... 65 Parting Shots….......................................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER III. “OUT” ON THE FIELD: HOMOSEXUALITY AND OUR NATIONAL PASTIME. ……………….. .................................................................................................. 69 Heterosexism & Black Feminist Thought.................................................................. 70 vi Coming Out… ............................................................................................................ 72 Fighting Words .......................................................................................................... 73 15–World Response................................................................................................... 76 The Media Panopticon Part One................................................................................ 79 The Media Panopticon Part Two ............................................................................... 82 Parting Shots….......................................................................................................... 86 CHAPTER IV. THE $252 MILLION MAN: ALEX RODRÍGUEZ, OBJECTIFICATION, AND MONEY……………… ........................................................................................................ 88 The Boatload Mentality & Its Exceptions ................................................................. 91 Objectification ............................................................................................................ 98 Free Agency…........................................................................................................... 102 Performance–Based Incentives.................................................................................. 103 Who Controls the Money?......................................................................................... 104 All Good Things… .................................................................................................... 112 Parting Shots….......................................................................................................... 114 CHAPTER V. BARRY BONDS AND R–E–S–P–E–C–T .................................................. 116 The Angry Black Man/Athlete................................................................................... 119 Does Ageism Exist in Baseball?................................................................................ 126 Home–Run Chase Part Two....................................................................................... 129 Performance–Enhancing Drugs Part Two ................................................................. 134 Guilty Until Proven Innocent..................................................................................... 137 Parting Shots….......................................................................................................... 141 CHAPTER VI. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 143 vii WORKS CITED .................................................................................................................... 153 APPENDIX…………….......................................................................................................