Ryan King-White Dissertation
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ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: BASEBALL, CITIZENSHIP, AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN GEORGE W. BUSH’S AMERICA Ryan Edward King‐White, Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Dissertation directed by: Professor David L. Andrews Department of Kinesiology The four separate, but related, studies within this research project seek to offer a critical understanding for how American national identit(ies), and particular forms of (cultural) citizenship are discursively constructed and performed in and through the sport of baseball. More specifically, this dissertation will utilize and expand upon critical theories of neoliberalism, citizenship, whiteness, and (physical) cultural studies to engage various empirical sites, which help provide the context for everyday life in contemporary America. Each chapter looks at various empirical aspects of the Little League World Series and the fans of the Boston Red Sox (popularly referred to as Red Sox Nation) that have historically privileged particular performances and behaviors often associated with white, American, heterosexual, upper‐middle class, masculine subject‐positions. In the first instance this project also attempts to describe how ‘normalized’ American citizenship is being (re)shaped in and through the sport of baseball. Secondly, I aim to critically evaluate claims made by both Little League Baseball, and the Boston Red Sox organization, in response to (popular) criticisms (Bryant, 20002; Mosher, 2001a, 2001b, 2001c) of regressive activity and behavior historically related to their organizations, that they are striving for a more culturally diverse and welcoming condition for all through their tournament and fan community respectively. To best articulate this critical understanding of the cotemporary moment I analyzed the production of the 2003 Little League Worlds Series, the (multi)media discourses surrounding Dominican star/villain, Danny Almonte, the filmic rendering of ‘normalized’ members of Red Sox Nation within Good Will Hunting and Fever Pitch, and finally an ethnographic study of Red Sox Nation throughout the 2007 baseball season. In following Andrews (2008) suggestive outline for a Physical Cultural Study I used a multi‐methodological, qualitatively based, study to gather evidence through which to best understand the socio‐political context of the contemporary moment. In so doing, I hope to clarify the dangerous way neoliberal capitalism is practiced and experienced in America. BASEBALL, CITIZENSHIP, AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN GEORGE W. BUSH’S AMERICA by Ryan Edward King‐White Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2008 Advisory Committee: Professor David L. Andrews, Chair Professor Michael Giardina Professor Sheri Parks Professor Jaime Schultz Professor Damion Thomas © Copyright by Ryan Edward King‐White 2008 DEDICATION To Meghan, my family, and all those that helped get me to this point. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor David L. Andrews for directing me through, not only this dissertation project, but also my graduate school career. In addition I thank my committee – Sheri Parks, Jaime Schultz, Damion Thomas, and Michael Giardina ‐ for their support and direction, as well as, Michael Silk and Elizabeth Marshall for their help early on in the process. At the same time I must not forget Sally J. Phillips for her kind donation in helping me to finish this dissertation in a timely manner, not to mention, all the times she stood up for me during my time at Maryland – many instances for which I probably have no idea. In addition I must thank Jane Clark for not murdering me for doing a poor job of staining her doors a few summers ago, and for her continued support of the graduate students and the Physical Cultural Studies Program. As for my classmates, Joshua Newman and Bryan Bracey need to be singled out, for the many long phone conversations and emotional, physical labor, “dots” and paper. Along the way I have unduly foisted this project on Perry Cohen, Tan Zhang, and Callie Batts, and, for that, I am especially thankful. For the rest of the Physical Cultural Studies program at Maryland, thanks for putting up with me, and I can only hope that the future of our PCS collective is as promising as all of you. Finally, thanks to my friends and family, Mom, Dad, Jax and Steve, Megan, Kristin, Dustin, Morgan, Lauren, Kathryn, Grandma Walrath, Kathy, Bill, Bridget, Brian, Deedee, Pop, Frank and Lia, Rich, Mike, Rich, Mickey, Matt and Jess (and little Matt and Jess), Benny and Yael, Eddie, Evan, and Tejas for putting up with me, supporting me, and being there for a lot of “stress relief”. iii And, always, thank you Meghan K. King‐White – for everything. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Baseball and 21st Century America.........................................................1 Baseball Studies.............................................................................................................5 National Identity, Sport, and Baseball .................................................................8 New Forms of Citizenship: What Does Baseball Have to Do With It? . 12 Physical Cultural Studies........................................................................................ 15 Neoliberalism and Physical Culture................................................................... 22 Methods of Inquiry: Interpretive (Micro)Ethnography and Critical Discursive Analysis ................................................................................................... 25 Project Breakdown.................................................................................................... 36 Chapter I: Revisiting the Networked Production of the 2003 Little League World Series: Narrative of American Innocence ........................................................ 42 2003 LLWS: media, spectacle, sovereignty .................................................... 42 Contextualizing the LLWS...................................................................................... 45 Producing the 2003 LLWS ..................................................................................... 48 Straddling Sovereignties......................................................................................... 50 Normalized American (Sporting) Superiority............................................... 57 Coda: Conducting Children.................................................................................... 67 Chapter II: Danny Almonte: Discursive Construction(s) of (Im)igrant Citizenship in Neoliberal America..................................................................................... 73 Dominican Dependence on America and (Little League) Baseball ...... 77 Theoretical Orientation and Methodology ..................................................... 81 Almonte the (Almost) All‐American Hero....................................................... 83 Almonte the Dominican .......................................................................................... 95 Epilogue: “Stay Dominican, Danny” .................................................................102 Coda: All Along the Almonte Watchtower.....................................................104 Chapter III: Setting the Stage: Constructing ‘Normalized’ Citizenship in Red Sox Nation Through Film...........................................................................................107 Film and the Contemporary Moment..............................................................110 Reading Mediated Citizenship in Red Sox Nation......................................113 Red Sox Nation and Class .....................................................................................116 Red Sox Nation’s Straight Men’s Club .............................................................123 Red Sox (White) Nation.........................................................................................133 Coda: The Stage is Set.............................................................................................135 Chapter IV: ‘Playing their Part: Red Sox Nation 2007 and the Public Performance of Whiteness .................................................................................................138 Commodity Citizenship and the Rise of a [Red Sox] Nation..................144 At Home in Red Sox Nation? Performativity and Qualitative Inquiry..........................................................................................................................148 Sports Bar Nationalism – “You’re Amongst Friends Here”....................152 Red Sox Nation Goes Viral....................................................................................161 v CONTENTS (Continued) Performing Red Sox Nation on the Road – DestiNation Colonization ...............................................................................................................168 Performing Red Sox Nation At Fenway – “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark”......................................................................................................................174 Coda: The Long Road or Terrible Lie? ............................................................181 Conclusion: Here’s to the State of George W. .............................................................185 Appendix: Cultural Studies Past/Present: My (Physical) Cultural Studies Project .........................................................................................................................................195