Monday, March 13, 2017
Weekly Post #10: Sean Doolittle (due March 19)
Not going to lie, I was thrilled to see this piece in the NYTimes about Sean Doolittle, a pitcher from the A's, last year. He's the kind of player who can safely go to the grocery store, live his life in relative obscurity, and otherwise enjoy some moderate fame but nothing too wild. So here he is in the pages of the Sunday Times, and I think it's a good read. What are your thoughts? You know you want to connect this to the American Dream and masculinity and hero worship ... or you can just read and respond. Like I said, I'm just pumped to see Doolittle in a national paper.
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This piece literally shows the character that Doolittle presents to the world. He seems to be one of the only people on his team that stands up for what he believes in so vividly, not only dedicating money, but also time. The article barely talks about Doolittle actually playing baseball but more of the impact that he has on his teammates and the world around him. It can be said that some people are just naturally more outspoken than others, but I think that that has a lot more to do with how he was raised. His parents told him that "baseball is what you do, not who you are" which is seemingly cliché but seems to have overall shaped Doolittle to be comfortable with sharing parts of his wealth and time with others.
ReplyDeleteDoolittle seems to have found a perfect balance between being a well respected athlete and a genuine human being who contributes more to the country than just sheer athleticism. Doolittle's ability to subtly fight for what he believes in is highlighted by the stories of what he has done, all of which dominate the article. The article, about an athlete, had nothing to do with baseball rather it focused solely on Doolittle's efforts to better the world and to be more than just a player which is a reflection of who Doolittle is in real life. Hopefully Doolittle's actions and this article will inspire more athletes to go above and beyond to do what they believe in.
ReplyDeleteRight off the bat (eyyy), Doolittle's language breaks the "tough"aka emotionless stereotype of masculinity and is wonderfully human, unlike how we build up our heroes to be. This might be way over-analyzing, but just from the way he phrased his own interpretation of his complex self: "I feel like there's more to me than just baseball," we can see that Doolittle is unafraid to be personal, vulnerable, and talk about how he "feel[s]." Rather than bursting forward with a mask-you-live-in type of declaration like "I am more than baseball!", Doolittle takes his time, stumbling over his words (he says 'like' twice in three words) and says "I feel...". I love it.
ReplyDeleteAgain with the language of "I feel" instead of a declaration, Doolittle hits you with that heart-snatching compassion and seemingly genuine care for others: "I feel like I might even be able to use it to help other people..." Once again, he shatters the typical, unhealthy masculine expectations of over-confidence with the words "might even be able to" and "I feel".
He works to utilize his privilege and success in baseball to help others who are, as he put it, ostracized for who they are or where they come from. Though he is flawed, as everyone is, he makes sure that he's a responsible citizen by keeping himself informed on political and world issues, helping to give to and create communities, going on fro-yo dates with his sports-writer girlfriend, and informing as many people as he can about important issues and organizations. While I don't really believe in heroes or worshipping some person who you've built up to be greater than they are, I think that Doolittle's actions are pretty darn admirable, and I hope that more players will try to utilize their privileges off the field like he does.
Doolittle seems like the embodiment of the sort of athletes we want kids to be looking up to. Doolittle is humble yet talented, dedicated to his craft yet realizes it is only a job, and outspoken in the local community. The man has principles, and seems to be extremely selfless. I find his activism and his justification for it to be inspiring, and while some athletes may turn to politics in order to advance their own image, it is clear Doolittle does what he does out of the kindness of his heart and the regard for others. I hope that the actions of players like Doolittle continue to be recognized, and that athletes in the future strive to be a little more like him.
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ReplyDeleteIt is always great to see a somewhat “normal” professional athlete attract attention on a national stage and I think that this article about Doolittle sheds light on topics that aren't normally talked about in connection to professional sports. Athletes are huge role models and naturally people want to be like the best athlete in a sport, for example, LeBron James. As a result of people wanting to be like LeBron, which for upwards of 99% of people is impossible due to his genes and physical abilities, we see athletes as these superhuman people. With Doolittle, this is not the case. Doolittle is a very successful athlete, but he is also a “normal” human being that looks like a typical guy. I think that this is very important for people to have role models that are like Doolittle because it allows them to see that they can be successful even though they are not graced with the physical body of LeBron. It really makes people believe that, if they work hard enough, even if they aren't extremely tall, big, fast or strong, that they can achieve their goal, which to me sounds a lot like the American Dream and what Doolittle has shown through his successful career.
I agree with what Mary wrote in the prompt to this blog post. It's really refreshing to see American professional athletes in the context of a human rather than a player. It shows that Americans aren't ONLY concerned with what makes money and headlines, and this is especially refreshing to see in a major American newspaper. I also found the preface of this article pretty interesting. I always wonder how I would feel in the shoes of a professional athlete. From my perspective, it seems fun to have people cheering your name and traveling miles just to see you do what you do. But all I hear from athletes and other celebrities is how annoying the media and fans can be. So I wonder if we as fans are the ones being arrogant by saying being famous would be fun, or if athletes are being arrogant by not appreciating their fame.
ReplyDeleteIt was very refreshing to see Doolittle portrayed as more than a player, and to have him reiterate that his self worth isn't determined by his ERA or the amount of wins he gets in a season. The article showed Doolittle to be a very empathetic and honorable dude, which is really awesome because it's probably hard to maintain one's sense of self in the public eye. Its so awesome to see an MLB player take action to make both the world and the baseball community more accepting places. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the segments that we read about Jackie Robinson speaking out about his stance on social issues. However, its impossible to ignore the influence of race in these two players situations (I mean its a difficult comparison seeing as racism was much more prominent in Robinson's time, but still). Doolittle and his girlfriend are obviously awesome people, but if they weren't white would they still receive the same positive reactions from their teammates and the rest of the sports community and beyond? I genuinely don't know, but that was an aspect of the article that stood out to me.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate how Doolittle has used his position as a high-performing baseball player to give back to the world. My ideology has always been that if people have a platform through which they can reach the minds of many people, they should use it for good. This article made me think more about Mo'ne Davis. While she seemed very reserved about her talent in sports, she failed to recognize the power she held as a young protégé with the ability to reach the minds of many other young althetes and young girls. She didn't seem to use her position to inspire others and act as a role model for other people/ speak out about her beliefs. I just generally believe that if one has the power to make a change in the world through a means that is typically not as accessible to most people such as fame, that they should really utilize that power to make a difference. What I respect most about Doolittle is that he focuses the majority of his attention on that side of himself rather than the baseball fame side of himself, and that says a lot about him as a person and his ability to be a true role model for others.
ReplyDeleteSean Doolittle is passionate about his career but exhibits how giving back to others and supporting his community takes president over all else. His generosity has allowed him to forged relationships with individuals outside of his clubhouse and fan base, meeting organizations and people that “would have never even thought of approaching sports folks” to help endorse their cause. Morality plays a considerable role in his actions and decision-making, having his involvement within his community stem from “the instinct to do what seems right.” Doolittle uses the platform that the sports world has given him to speak out on political and personal issues that he feels pertains to the current state the country is in. His selfless behavior has exponentially boosted his willingness to address publicly the kinds of causes rarely discussed in a conservative baseball culture. His philanthropic nature should be idolized, confidently encouraging other athletes like him to have a greater impact on their communities.
ReplyDeleteWe recently talked about athletes wanting to talk about politics, but also being silenced by teams so they don't have to deal with the backlash of players speaking out. However, it seems Doolittle has found a perfect balance between speaking out and not entirely focusing on politics and things going on outside of sports. It is really refreshing to see someone with who receives attention for what they do and has a large following to actually take action rather than simply voice their opinion. It is clear that Doolittle genuinely cares about other people and it is great to see that he takes actions to actually help other people. Along with showing that he cares rather than saying it, he doesn't only talk about all the good he does and constantly post about it on his twitter. He obviously works to help out others, but it is nice to see that he doesn't do it for attention and can still focus on other things, like making jokes on twitter.
ReplyDeleteFor many professional players, when they finally join it to the Majors and make their childhood dreams a reality, they stop being an ordinary person and become known as a baseball star. As we've discussed recently, many people believe that baseball players and other public figures should not share their voice on the political stage, and often when they do they receive backlash. However, I admire the fact that Doolittle has such a strong presence in so many movements like the pride movements, aiding syrian refugees, and veterans. Doolittle says he doesn't want to be "looked at as a baseball robot," and I think more professional athletes should have his mentality. Young boys across the nation and even the world look up to professional athletes throughout their childhood. Seeing their idols support and give back teaches boys about controversies in our society and also encourages them to get involved, too.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this article by the times for a couple of reasons. First of all it is about Sean Doolittle, and as a somewhat fan of the A’s (I go to at least 5 games a year with my buddy who is a die hard fan) it’s nice to see a player beloved by a fan base in a small market get some news on him. Doolittle is exactly what is right in the world and he sticks up for what he believes in and for others that need help. The way he goes about this work is what makes me smile the most about the story. He is not your atypical hero boasting about his work and showboating what he does off the field. He “gets stuff done”, and especially when no one is watching. He takes the quote said in the piece by his parents to a whole new level: “Baseball is what you do, not who you are” as he longs to not limit his impact to people only on the baseball field.
ReplyDeleteAfter a recent blog post where we read an article questioning if athletes should stick to sports and avoid revealing any kind of political views or otherwise, this piece contradicted it in the most positive way. Showing that players can support organizations and movements that they believe in without putting others in a negative light is an uncommon viewpoint for an article within sports. I think highlighting Doolittle's achievements, particularly the Chicago thanksgiving and buying tickets to the A's pride game, was so wholesome in a NYT article, and that there aren't enough articles about sports players like that today.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this article, because it was interesting to read an article about a professional baseball player, but the focus to be on a subject unrelated to his playing the sport, especially after reading the article about professional athletes just sticking to sports. He is presented as a realistic human, with a life and interests outside of his job, and for this reason Doolittle is a really good role model. Nothing he’s doing that was discussed in the article was for recognition or fame, but was because he cared about the cause and what he was doing, and it didn’t have to just be all about baseball. I think that it’s really great he is getting recognition for being a good person, and that he is actually taking action to help and make a difference, and not just simply stating his opinion on issues.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great example of a baseball player who does his own thing that he's passionate about, and doesn't feel beholden to the game or what he's expected to follow from the media, rather doing what he can to help people and do this really awesome display of what someone with some social power or influence can do to help. I think it's a great response to the demands people have upon baseball players, because while he isn't only doing baseball because that's "all he's supposed to do," he's also not shutting up about what he cares about, but he's doing it in a way that is very clearly related to what he personally believes and part of who he is as a person. For this, I think Doolittle is a fantastic guy, and despite not being the most high-profiles or most accomplished athlete out there, is a real role model that doesn't deserve media hounding attention, but definitely deserves to be considered more of an important role model.
ReplyDeleteDoolittle fully embodies both his role as a player and a role model as a professional athlete. He finds a way to give back both to his community, through raising funds and organizing events for the less privileged, as well as playing at an elite level suggests that he understands his special role and how influential he can be to others. This ability to become more than just the expert in a field/sport is connected to the American Dream in that the Dream promises that fame can be achieved through hard work. The fame that comes with the Dream has to be managed in a way that reciprocates the feelings of hope that implant the American Dream and reciprocates the availability of the Dream to a greater range of people. Doolittle does a good job of this by both showing that people in general should be kinder to others, as well as providing more feasible paths to success by providing so much for the historically oppressed.
ReplyDeleteI think what sets this couple apart from a lot of major leaguers is their genuinity behind what they support. Like the couple said, they are not organizing events to say ‘Look at me giving!’, rather, they are getting behind causes that they are personally connected to and stand for. Although they are clearly satting a political view they aren't alienating anyone. They are trying to show people that there is no need for hospitable behavior towards people who are different than them. I think that they do a great job of taking a clear stand on political topics by welcoming and supporting minorities into baseball culture, but they don't alienate or push away people/fans who have different views than them. This earns him a great amount of respect on his team. Although he does have clear and strong political views he is able to maintain a general liking from people.
ReplyDeleteDoolittle acts as a great role model both as an athlete and as a human being. The two of them really get behind the causes that they support. I browsed through his twitter a little bit and as the article said there was little talk about politics, but his opinion clearly came through. In one post he said, "The standing ovation was very powerful but the best way to honor veterans & their families is by giving them the care they need & deserve." When Doolittle says that he doesn't want to be viewed as a baseball robot that was something that we don't really see from athletes. The level of humanity that came through from the article was also something that is hard to come by and he truly seems like a individual that wasn't "corrupted" by fame.
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