This week Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers had arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. The following day Hart came to the Brewers' Spring Training grounds in Maryvale Arizona. In the article, "Hart says Surgery was Right Call," Hart makes a declaration to the fans "Other people said 'Well Rickie (Weeks) played through it, Craig (Counsell) played through it,' but those were minor tears, not like mine." Baseball is unlike any other business. In baseball we learn specifically what happened to a player. For example, Corey Hart showed up to Spring Training with an X-Ray of his knee to prove he really did need the surgery. In other professional sports, like hockey, the medical records remained sealed, unless they are leaked by an outside source. Though in Baseball everybody needs to know everything! Why is baseball one of the only sports where everything is exposed? It is because fans idealize the players, and need proof that these players are actually hurt. Fans believe that they are actually part of the team. In no other business would we see a boss telling their employees another co-workers medical chart. However, in baseball the X-Rays are shown to millions of people.
In Coover's The Universal Baseball Association, the players are idealized, especially Damon, the star pitcher. Henry, the creator of the game, finds himself enthralled with Damon, feeling as if he has a connection with him specifically. Henry makes Damon a celebrity, which is what fans do to their players. Henry literally has complete control over Damon, and it is not much different in the MLB. Corey Hart would not make front page news if he was idealized by fans. The fans are the ones who create the player's persona; they make them the celebrity. Our society can take a regular baseball player and blow him up to the extent that he is bringing his X-Rays to press conferences. This shows clearly the effect of fandom, and how much influence fans really do have on baseball players.
There is another way to think about with this is the idealization of a player created by the fans. That is by idealizing a player we view them as super human. Receiving a minor injury is one thing, but a severe injury is another. We as fans that have created this idealization do no like to believe that these players are capable of being injured. It is unsettling when a player is severely injured.
ReplyDeleteI've never really thought about how it could be different as far as medical records go in different sports! I can definitely see how baseball fans may be more invested in the players and therefore need even more details (kind of like how it is for celebrities). I can't imagine being that invested in a player or a person I didn't know personally but it is definitely true that people idealize these players and seem to act like they know them intimately - though this is probably a good thing overall for his popularity and notoriety!
ReplyDeleteI have often wondered about why everything needs to be exposed in baseball and not in other sports. It seems almost contradictory to me that the game of America, the one we imagine wholesome boys playing, is criticized with such distrust that fans need proof of everything. Maybe it is because we hold baseball players to a higher moral standard that fans need clarity of situations. I also agree with Tammy, that maybe fans idolized image of players conflicts with the fact that they are still just humans who get hurt.
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