For baseball’s Black and Latino players, it’s always 1926 somewhere
From home-run celebrations to tilted caps, players embracing joy continue to collide with an old guard devoted to Dust Bowl grimness
TL;DR
- Baseball is experiencing a cultural clash between its traditionalist old guard and a new generation of players who express joy and individuality.
- Incidents involving players like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Jazz Chisholm, and umpire Doug Eddings, highlight tensions over perceived "disrespect" for the game's customs.
- The conflict is framed as a racial and cultural one, predating current politics, where 'playing the right way' is seen as a code for imposing whiteness and suppressing Black and Latino players' expressions.
- Major League Baseball's historical "whiteness" and adherence to tradition are contrasted with other sports like the NBA, which more readily adapt to new generations of players.
- The article suggests that this resistance to change and policing of player behavior reflects broader societal divisions and abuses of authority, particularly in a context influenced by 'Trumpism' and a 'Maga country.'