For Love of the Game: Baseball Die-Hards Connection to the Game
- Chandler Giampietro
- May 2, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: May 3, 2022
Why does baseball provoke deeply rooted connections with its fans? Is it the marketing they implement? The season it is played in? Or is there a deeper reason for the obsession in baseball fans?
Baseball is a unique game in comparison to the other three major sports in America. Firstly, there is no clock in a baseball game. The defense has the ball, and there are no regulated stadium dimensions. All these aspects of the game can make the game boring for some. Pitchers can dilly dally on the mound. Fielders stand patiently waiting for an opportunity to make a play that could be an hour away from occurring. Games average well over three hours. Frankly, most of that time is spent getting ready for the next pitch. Yet, through generations, baseball fans are still as much in love with the game as they were when spectators wore suits to the ballpark. So why is this game so special to so many people?
Baseball is a game built upon tradition. For generations, many fathers have been taking their sons to the ballgame to teach this tradition and the romanticism deeply rooted in the game.
“I mean that is how I got into baseball. My dad would take us to the games. You get a hotdog; you sit in the stands. It is a lot more than just a game. You get to socialize with people, there is a lot of stuff going on because it is not incredibly fast-paced." Baseball has been one of those things where my dad and I could have a genuine conversation over those three hours you are at the park," said Ian Ermoian, a student at UW Lacrosse.
Many sons use the game to connect and relate to their fathers. Baseball galvanizes those relationships and provides an opportunity for father-son duos to geek out on the game they love.
“The 2011 Cardinals were a special team to watch. I was a freshman in high school and I remember the moment I was sitting in bed watching game six and my dad calls me and says 'who hit it?" He was working downtown, and because of the lag on the broadcast I saw David Freeze hit that homerun as I was on the phone with him. That was a really special moment,” said Roosevelt University graduate student, Leo Lunatto.
The sights and sounds that coincide with a trip to the ballpark can provoke emotions in fans. The smell of fresh-cut grass, sizzling dogs on the grill and the ambiance of the ballpark sends many to their "happy place."
“I can hear Gene Honda’s voice in my head. I can smell the grilled onions. There is something about walking into that stadium, it kind of triggers my sixth sense and there is no other feeling like that,” said Roosevelt University alumnus, Anthony Nicholas. The romantic partners of a baseball fan may have to deal with this love affair. For many, baseball was their first love growing up. “My girlfriend gets mad at me sometimes about my passion for the game. She always says, 'You love baseball and the White Sox more than me,'" Nicholas continued.
As time has passed the game of baseball has evolved significantly. While some older fans say the game is not the same as it was, their passion and love for the game persists. The implementation of stadium renovations, game improvements and rising prices has not deterred lifelong fans from flipping on the ballgame or taking a trip to the park.
"My first St. Louis game, which was five stadiums ago from what they are playing now; a couple of friends and I parked right next to the park. We watched the game, and it was really neat. Things were much different back then. If you did not listen to the game, you did not know what the score was a lot of times," said lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan Frank Lipscomb. Many aspects of the game have changed, yet fans continue to tune in and long for the memories they had as children enjoying a ball game on a warm summer afternoon. "I still enjoy it just like I did back then. The players are so much better than they were 15 years ago, and I am talking 50 years for me. Everything about the game is better today except the price of beer," Lipscomb added.
Baseball can provide fans with nostalgia and pieces of their past that are filled with joy. To many, baseball is much more than a bunch of grown men chucking leather and yarn at a piece of wood while others stand with a mitten on their non-throwing hand.
“Baseball means everything to me. It is something that always has brought me joy. Going back to playing catch as a kid, going to the tee-ball games. It means so much to me in so many little aspects. Baseball paid for part of my college education and I have met some of the best people because of the game and I am so grateful for that," said NIU grad student, Matt Donahue.
It is difficult for fans to personify what the game of baseball means to them. It elicits emotions that are generally unaccepted in today's culture. For men, there can be a stigma that it is weak to have emotions and baseball gives a socially acceptable topic to be open and emotional about.
"I think a lot of men are afraid to be open and honest about their feelings. It feels like baseball or sports, in general, allow men to be emotional about a subject free of judgment from their peers," said Roosevelt University Psychology student, Christina Snee.
40,000 strangers can fill up a stadium and each one could be there for a different reason. Fans trek to the ballpark year after year to socialize and connect with their friends and family in the bleachers with a dog and a brew on a warm summer afternoon. Baseball remains a constant in American culture that stands as a breeding ground for human connection and love for the game. The game brings people together and will continue to do so indefinitely.
Chicago White Sox fan Matt McAley said “The game brings my family and friends together. It is where I have gone to countless games with my dad and that is a deep passion that we share. It is where I met my fiancée, and we share that same passion. Baseball holds a special place in my heart that will not leave until the day I die. My dad and I have tried to conceptualize what the game means to us. The best comparison I have heard from him is no matter what happens in the day coming home to watch the game is like ‘a warm blanket on a cold day.’”
Source List
Ian Ermoian
Leo Lunatto
Anthony Nicholas
Frank Lipscomb
Matt Donahue
Matt McAley
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