"Boys Who Wanted to Write About Baseball"

Sam Regalado Responds

ASA president Lisa Duggan’s remarks to interviewer Sarah Mesle about baseball as a discussion topic at the 2014 conference were disappointing, to say the least. Mesle, who demonstrated a narrow understanding of the humanities, seemed incredulous at the notion that such a subject might make its way onto the program. Duggan, unfortunately, all but reinforced the reporter’s take, which effectively questioned sport as a legitimate area of study. And, to me, this is no small matter. First, the president’s retort painted the organization, of which she presides, as one that is out-of-touch. Second, it smacked of academic elitism. Indeed, Duggan, who could probably use some coaching on this matter, could have taken Mesle to task as to where sport-related research stands in the world of academe. The OAH and AHA, for instance, have long held panels on this topic (some that were strictly on baseball) in their own conferences and placed them in highly desirable slots in their programs. As well, publishers like Oxford, Illinois, Yale, and others, have since the 1980s produced sport-related monographs and anthologies, many which have enjoyed extended editions and high recognition, such as Jules Tygiel’s epic “Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy,” a 1984 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award winner. Several high-ranking universities feature sport studies programs, and history departments themselves now routinely hire scholars who hold this area of expertise. THIS is the kind of answer that should have appeared in the interview, along with the parting phrase to Mesle, “where have YOU been?”


Instead, we were treated to a dismissive response and one that, at the very least, appeared at odds with the ASA creed which describes its membership as a body that “hold in common the desire to view US history and culture from multiple perspectives.” Certainly, no one expects Duggan, or any other president of an academic association to be an expert on every research topic that makes it onto the respective conference programs. But leaders, like Duggan, when speaking publically on such matters, should also demonstrate an appreciation for topics like, say, sport, which has recognized standing as a viable and important area of research. So, how about it President Duggan, where have YOU been?

Sam Regalado, is author of Viva Baseball: Latin Major Leaguers and Their Special Hunger, published by the University of Illinois Press, now in its third edition; and Nikkei Baseball: Japanese American Players from Immigration and Internment to the Major Leagues. He is a professor of History at Cal State Stanislaus.