“Baseball is the hurrah game of the Republic! That’s beautiful: the hurrah game! Well — it’s our game; that’s the chief fact in connection with it. America’s game has the snap, go, fling, of the American atmosphere – (it) belongs as much to our institutions, fits into them as significantly, as our Constitutions and laws. It’s just as important in the sum total of our historic life.” – Walt Whitman, 1889
Happy Opening Day, baseball fans! When we think about the United States of America this time of year – that is, who we all are and what we all stand for – we can’t resist the urge to compare a couple of our greatest American pastimes: democracy and baseball.
OK, those two things might not seem like obvious companions. One is about elections, laws, and the hard, often frustrating work of self-governance. The other is a game played under bright lights and open skies, but it can be equally frustrating for grown men who try to hit a ball hurtling at 100 mph with a wooden stick. But if you’ve ever sat in the stands on a summer evening or stayed up late to watch extra innings, well, you understand that baseball, like American democracy, is about a lot more.
At its best, baseball is about fairness. It’s about opportunity. It’s about the belief that everyone deserves a chance to step up to the plate. Each team gets an equal number of outs, meaning you can’t run down the clock if you’re nursing a lead. Every player gets their turn, no matter what the score is.
This idea – that fair opportunity isn’t just an aspiration but something built into the game’s rules – reflects our best ideals as a nation. It’s baseball’s version of every citizen having an equal voice. Baseball’s rules apply to everyone. Superstar or rookie, veteran or newcomer, if the ball’s in play, you run. If it’s three strikes, you’re out. The ball lands fair or foul – no shortcuts or special treatment exist. It’s the same strike zone for everybody. No matter what we think about individual umpires, managers, or players, that’s a good metaphor for the rule of law.
Of course, our national game hasn’t always lived up to its promises. For too long, baseball excluded African Americans from the majors, just as too many Americans were once denied the right to vote or treated as second-class citizens. This seemingly absolute reality had to be challenged, reformed, and eventually made more just.
Jackie Robinson changed baseball. In doing so, he changed the country – he reminded us that courage and excellence can move history forward, that the rules can evolve, and that progress is possible.
In fact, that’s another thing baseball teaches us: redemption. You can fail but still win; a player can strike out three times and still come through in the clutch and be the hero of the day. A team can trail in the ninth, but rally to victory. That never-give-up, eyes-on-the-horizon attitude is the heartbeat of American democracy. Sure, we face setbacks and false starts, but we’ve got a long, long record of getting up, dusting ourselves off, and carrying on. That next at-bat, election, and moment of connection and democratic possibility is always ahead of us.
Baseball and democracy are not solo acts. Sure, individual brilliance and talent matters – but no one wins a World Series alone, just as no one builds a just society alone. It takes people who may not always agree, but who are willing to work together toward something greater than themselves.
That’s what we need more of today, in sports and civic life. We need a greater sense of shared purpose, a willingness to listen, and a recognition that our opponents are still our fellow Americans. We need reminders that what unites us is stronger than what divides us.
Baseball – our oldest, truest national pastime – reminds us of that. It brings generations together. It gives us a common language. It fosters debate and disagreement and the resolve to come back the next day, ready to lace ‘em up and compete again. True, baseball is just a game. But it teaches us to be our best selves: Fair, resilient, and committed to the idea that everyone deserves a chance.
In a time when the noise threatens to drown out the signal, we’d do well to remember what the game has always taught us: Show up. Play hard. Respect the rules. Lift each other up. And never stop believing that tomorrow can be better than today.
That’s baseball. That’s democracy. That’s America. Happy Opening Day!
– Steve Smith, Director of Communications
