The Empire Strikes Out
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 | |
| Author | Elias, Robert |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | The New Press |
Publication date | 2010 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 418 |
| ISBN | 978-1-59558-195-2 |
| 796.357-dc22 | |
| LC Class | GV867.64.E45 2010 |
The Empire Strikes Out: How Baseball Sold U.S. Foreign Policy and Promoted the American Way Abroad is a 2010 book written by Robert Elias that examines baseball as part of American politics and foreign policy. Elias is the author of several books dealing with politics to include Baseball and the American Dream, which, in a similar manner to The Empire Strikes Out, examines the game of baseball through a political lens. Elias has also written a baseball novel titled, The Deadly Tools of Ignorance.[1]
Robert Elias is a professor of politics and chair of legal studies at the University of San Francisco. Among the courses he teaches are U.S. political history, human rights, constitutional law, American foreign policy, and baseball. Elias' education includes a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Penn State University. He is the author of numerous books, essays, and articles and is the Editor in Chief of Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice. Elias has also taught at the University of California, Tufts University, the University of Maryland, and Penn State University. He lives in Mill Valley, California.[2]
Book summary
The Empire Strikes Out examines baseball's role in developing what the author refers to as the "American empire". The book discusses in great detail baseball's role in American history, particularly baseball's role helping, and being helped by the military. In the book's introduction, Elias notes that baseball was used to "...sell and export the American dream". As part of that effort, baseball was regularly used in the country's imperial quest to dominate other nations.[3] A large part of the book is devoted to discussing foreign trips by American baseball teams intended to spread the game to other cultures. The first trip cited in the book was organized by Albert Spalding in 1888 and included stops in Egypt, Italy, England, and Ireland. According to Elias, the tour was "...permeated by racism". Previously, U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry had forced the opening of Japanese society and had introduced the game of baseball to Japanese people who quickly took to the sport. Closer to the U.S, the American military introduced baseball to Cuba and discovered that the Cuban people adopted the game largely as way of creating a national sport not played by Spain which was occupying the country as an imperial power.[4] Elias frequently discusses baseball through the lenses of:
- Racism. The issues of race and racism are used extensively in the book. Elias writes considerably about the Major League Baseball's exclusion of black ballplayers. The book discusses Branch Rickey's signing of Jackie Robinson, as a way of destroying the Negro leagues.
"...as Brooklyn Dodgers' owner, Rickey invaded black America, extracting the best talent from the Negro Leagues and ultimately destroying them leaving widespread black ballplayer employment in his wake. With black teams eliminated, their fans were also co-opted by the major leagues."[5]
Elias is also critical of teams such as the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves for their use of American Indian nicknames, themes and mascots.[6][a]
- Imperialism. Similar to racism, Elias repeatedly discusses baseball as a tool of American imperialism. An entire section is devoted to the topic of America's imperial quests in the far east and South America and how those quests were aided and abetted by the game of baseball.[7] Japan, in particular is mentioned as an example of America's imperial quests both before and after World War II.[8] The Dominican Republic is cited as an example of how baseball was introduced by American corporations as a way to divert the attention of native populations away from the oppressive working conditions that existed in the sugar industry.[9] In a more contemporary example, Elias notes that American soldiers teaching Afghans how to play baseball was yet another example of baseball's contribution and linkage with America's cultural imperialism.[10]