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Breaking Barriers and Coded Language

Watching Politics of Race at the Ballpark

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Thomas D. Bunting
Thomas D. Bunting*
Affiliation:
Shawnee State University
*
E-mail: tbunting@shawnee.edu
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Abstract

Drawing on recent literature on political spectatorship, I show how sport, and baseball in particular, can both illuminate and shape American politics. Following the history of racial segregation and immigrant assimilation in baseball, one sees that it mirrors American race politics on the whole. I argue that Jackie Robinson and the desegregation of baseball changed both American politics and the horizons within which citizens think. Although it is tempting to focus on this positive and emergent moment, I argue that for the most part, looking at the history of race in baseball shows instead coded language that reinforces racial stereotypes. This example of baseball and race shows how powerful spectatorship can be in the democratic world. Spectatorship need not be passive but can be an important sphere of activity in democratic life.

Keywords

baseballdemocratic theoryracespectatorshipsportpolitics

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Democratic Theory , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , June 2018 , pp. 62 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Berghahn Books 2018

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