In our readings and discussions of “baseball as place,” we’ve now turned our attention to baseball in an international context, specifically examining players immigrating between countries to play.
For this paper, think about how baseball is played in different cultures? How does the game reflect the culture and place where it is played despite the fact that the game is supposedly “the same” everywhere? How do players deal with the cultural differences they face? Are they all successful in overcoming them? What are their motivations for immigrating to play baseball in the first place? How do players in the “new” country respond to these players and the cultural differences? You may consider comparing/contrasting one of these questions across two specific groups of players (say, players from the US and players from the Dominican Republic).
Following the format outlined on the syllabus, your assignment is to write a 2-3 page paper addressing the prompt above. Keep in mind that these are questions to help orient your thesis statement and approach to the topic, and not questions to be answered one-by-one. In addition, you will have to do some original research on your topic, with no fewer than 2 outside sources appearing in your Works Cited. For this paper internet sources are fine, though they must be cited properly. A rough draft must be submitted via Blackboard AND a hardcopy brought to class on Monday, October 19. The final draft will be due on Monday, November 9.