When Baseball Isn't White, Straight and Male: The Media and Difference in the National Pastime - Paperback

by Lisa Doris Alexander (Author)

This book analyzes how sportswriters have discussed issues of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual identity, age and class within professional baseball from 1998 to the present. Each chapter looks at the media representations of a specific controversy--the 1998 home-run chase, Alex Rodriguez's historic contract signing, Barry Bonds' home runs, Mike Piazza's I am not gay press conference, Effa Manley's Hall of Fame induction, the celebration of Jackie Robinson's legacy, as well as the various incidents involving performance-enhancing drugs. The author puts it together and reveals what messages are being conveyed by the issues.

Front Jacket

This book analyzes how sportswriters have discussed issues of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual identity, age and class within professional baseball from 1998 to the present. Each chapter looks at the media representations of a specific controversy--the 1998 home-run chase, Alex Rodriguez's historic contract signing, Barry Bonds' home runs, Mike Piazza's "I am not gay" press conference, Effa Manley's Hall of Fame induction, the celebration of Jackie Robinson's legacy, as well as the various incidents involving performance-enhancing drugs. The author puts it together and reveals what messages are being conveyed by the issues.

Author Biography

Lisa Doris Alexander is an assistant professor of Africana studies at Wayne State University in Detroit. Her research focuses on issues of race, class and sexual identity in sports, film and television. She lives in Warren, Michigan.