Cultural Fads

What does one usually envision when they think of America? Stereotypically responses include apple pie, cheeseburgers, liberty, and baseball. All the previously mentioned things have a significant cultural place in America. For example, baseball has been our "National Pastime" for over 100 years. While maintaining its status as our national pastime, baseball has influenced our society throughout its storied history. Baseball players are superstar icons who have a gripping effect on society. Because the high stature baseball has held over the years, it is a surprise that it has recently aided in a new cultural phenomenon of victimization. The current popular trend in America is to be considered a victim. Jack Solomon and Sonia Maasik explain this phenomenon in their essay, "Representing the "Other" in American Culture", when they say that "in the current discourse of Ð''otherness' in America, not to be a victim is often held equivalent to being a victimizer"(606). Baseball players have demonstrated this way of thinking in the notorious strike of 1994 and the recent labor disputes in August of 2002.

The status baseball and its superstars hold in our society allows influence of our culture, even without intention. Baseball players don't make money for the owners on an individual basis. Every time they were on television or were interviewed, they acted very meek and innocent. (These terms will be explained later. In the realm of Major League Baseball, the monetary issues are composed of incredibly high numbers. Baseball players don't make money for the owners on an individual basis. Both the players and the owners toiled and dwelled on issues of collective bargaining, revenue sharing, salary cap, and tax rates. After several days of negotiating, the two sides eventually hammered out an agreement to save the state of baseball. If you were "trying to avoid it at all costs", then why don't the players agree to a deal that gives them a little less money and save the game Chuck? The answer is simple. Seventy-five percent of the pool is redistributed to all 30 teams, and 25 percent is redistributed only to the teams with local revenue below the Major League average"(1). The whole team earns money with their performance. their tyrannical demands during labor negotiations. Both the players and the owners toiled and dwelled on issues of collective bargaining, revenue