Baseball: Not in America Only

By Kerwin Berk, AAJA member, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter

April 2, 2008

Baseball in Japan dates back to 1878 but the seminal date in its history is 1934, when a team of American All-Stars led by Babe Ruth toured the country to promote the sport. Baseball's popularity took off after that, and Ruth is considered the game's first goodwill ambassador.

It's unfortunate that Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Furman Bisher has chosen to be an ambassador of a different sort when it comes to baseball in Japan. His column of March 26 in regards to the A's vs. Red Sox games played in Japan is a racist piece of poor journalism that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution should feel personally embarrassed and ashamed to have run this. It speaks volumes to the paper's credibility, diversity and editing processes.

Mr. Bisher's point about baseball losing its traditions is well-taken, but is it necessary or fair to try to make it by using xenophobic, bitter, hate-filled, antiquated ideas? He seems to say that the Opening Day game shouldn't have been played in Japan because of Pearl Harbor.

Using Mr. Bisher's logic, Atlanta should never have been awarded the 1996 Olympic Games because of Georgia's history of slavery and segregation.

I can only assume Mr. Bisher was outraged when Dirk Nowitzki, a German, won the NBA's MVP award for the 2006-2007. If my memory serves me correctly, we fought Germany in World War II. I'm sure Mr. Bisher didn't forget to mention Auschwitz when writing about Nowitzki.

And what sort of remarks did he make about Canada when the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993. I'm sure he remembered, we fought battles with that country when it was part of the British Empire during the War of 1812. I believe the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., was burned down in that one. I sure hope Mr. Bisher held Canada accountable for that travesty.

And when Major League Baseball opened its season in Monterrey, Mexico, in 1999, I bet he remembered with fought a war with Mexico.

Perhaps, Mr. Bisher's time might be better spent on questioning why the Atlanta Braves don't have a single African-American on their 40-man roster or writing about "traditions" at The Masters golf tournament.

I have spent very little time in Atlanta but I have read articles about the greatness of the "New South." It is unfortunate that Mr. Bisher chooses to promote the ideas of the "Old" one. Baseball is not just the American pastime; it is America's gift to the world.

About Fresh View

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of AAJA. For consideration as the next columnist, AAJA members are invited to e-mail mediawatch@aaja.org.