Monday, March 21, 2016
Post #10: A good guy doing good stuff (due April 12)
Not going to lie, I was thrilled to see this piece in the NYTimes about Sean Doolittle, a pitcher from the A's. 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 you 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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It is really cool that Doolittle is breaking down the image of a baseball player as solely an athletic and masculine hero. I tend to define athletes only by their athletic achievements, rather than remembering that they are people with lives, families, feelings, etc. I think this culture is dehumanizing as it perpetuates an oversimplified and unrealistic view of life for athletes, and because so many baseball players today abide by this culture, it is easier for me not to question it. For these reasons, it is important that people like Doolittle break the mold and make people reconsider the way we view baseball players. I admire his ability to stay true to himself as well as his bravery in speaking about issues that are not discussed enough in baseball or in general. I think more people should be like Doolittle because people like him can help redefine what it means to be a baseball player but also remind players that as human beings they also have responsibilities that extend beyond the field.
ReplyDeleteI find it inspiring how Doolittle uses his role as a national hero to take a stance on what he believes in. Doolittle is exactly who he says to be, "more than just baseball." He has shown that the American Dream is beyond the individual. Even after achieving the "American Dream" that many Americans aspire to reach, Doolittle continues to use his power to channel positive change. I had never considered professional athletes to be activists, however Doolittle shows the publicity he can get and the effectiveness of his actions.
ReplyDeleteI found his parents insight most interesting about this piece. Athletes are known for their concrete talent, and although that limelight may be exciting, it must be taxing on someone to feel like their worth is riding on something so temporary, something that can all be drained away through a bad season or an injury. To counteract this, Doolittle places a lot of added significance to his life off the field; he helps the image of professional athletes become more venerable as multifaceted humans rather than robots.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is a cool to see a player like Doolittle being passionate and dedicated to social change and justice when a lot of his teammates and baseball players in general do not seem to care about it. I think it is hard to stay committed to what Doolittle is doing when those he is surrounded by are not committed to that goal. I particularly noticed this at the part at the end of the article when Doolittle's teammates were discussed. Fuld and Vogt seem to appreciate what Doolittle is doing, but are definitely not passionate about the topic themselves. The fact that Doolittle is so determined to help the world is inspiring, especially because a baseball player is usually not the position from which social change stems. I think his actions are definitely very positive especially because I think an athlete aiming for social change will be able to influence a lot of the public that usually would not be aware of such movements.
ReplyDeleteAs a player that goes highly unrecognized in the world, Doolittle is able to separate himself from other professional athletes because his giving can be more genuine. Instead of giving just to be in the spotlight and show people that he is a good person, since people don't really know who he is, he can give just to be a good person without ulterior motives. And oddly enough, he is becoming more famous because of this. It shows that being a good person can come back to help you. These actions make his teammates love him, and are helping to make him a fan favorite among A's fans.
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