America, Baseball, Apple Pie, and.... Censorship?
Published on Friday, April 11, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
"America, Baseball, Apple Pie, and.... Censorship?"
by Tim Bottorff
That actors and musicians who speak out against the Bush administration's policies
are increasingly finding themselves the targets of criticism and coercion is
nothing new. The backlash that followed anti-war comments by figures such as
Michael Moore and the Dixie Chicks, for instance, is well-known.
Rarely, however, does the sporting world become entangled in such discussions--and with good reason. Americans, especially, love their sports and often view them as an "escape" or "diversion" from an otherwise tumultuous and uncertain world.
But now, in the most recent battle over free speech in wartime, Baseball Hall of Fame President Dale Petroskey has dragged the National Pastime into the political arena by cancelling a scheduled 15th-anniversary celebration of the movie "Bull Durham" (1987) because of the political views of co-stars Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon. The couple, who met while filming the classic baseball movie, have been outspoken in their criticism of the conflict in Iraq.
Robbins and Sarandon are merely two names on a growing list of celebrities who are targeted by websites such as "Boycott Hollywood" (http://www.boycott-hollywood.us), which lists dozens of "Hollywood/Celebrity Pundits" who, the site says, "do NOT speak for America." Accordingly, supporters of the site vow not to "go see or support ONE movie or television project by these people." Such boycotts are perfectly legitimate, of course, albeit usually misdirected and ineffective.
However, there is a world of difference between a citizen deciding to boycott a particular event and the president of an organization--especially a non-profit, non-partisan one such as the Baseball Hall of Fame--unilaterally deciding to cancel an apolitical event merely because he/she disagrees with the participants' viewpoints. In doing so, Petroskey has dampened and politicized what was supposed to be a celebratory and apolitical event, set himself and his institution up for an enormous amount of criticism, and, ironically, given Tim Robbins' opinions far more coverage than they would have gotten otherwise.
While the cancelled event in question--a small, relatively unpublicized event at the non-profit Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York--is rather insignificant, the issues it raises and the war of words waged by the two sides is illuminating. Like players in a classic batter-pitcher duel, Petroskey and Robbins have squared off in a dramatic contest for the hearts and minds of Americans. So far, Petroskey appears to be the loser.
Informing Robbins and Sarandon of his decision to cancel the "Bull Durham" celebration, Petroskey threw the first pitch: "In a free country such as ours, every American has the right to his or her own opinions, and to express them. Public figures, such as you, have platforms much larger than the average American's, which provides you an extraordinary opportunity to have your views heard - and an equally large obligation to act and speak responsibly.... We believe your very public criticism of President Bush at this important - and sensitive - time in our nation's history helps undermine the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in even more danger. As an institution, we stand behind our President and our troops in this conflict."
Petroskey served as an assistant press secretary to President Reagan from 1985-1987 and reportedly still has ties to the GOP party, prompting Robbins to strike back, "I had been unaware that baseball was a Republican sport," and later, "I wish you had, in your letter, saved me the rhetoric and talked honestly about your ties to the Bush and Reagan administrations." Robbins continued, "as an American who believes that vigorous debate is necessary for the survival of a democracy, I reject your suggestion that one must be silent in times of war. To suggest that my criticism of the president puts the troops in danger is absurd." He concluded his response with even stronger criticism of Petroskey, a veritable free speech "home run":
"You are using what power you have to infringe upon my rights to free speech and by taking this action hope to intimidate the millions of others that disagree with our president. In doing so, you expose yourself as a tool, blinded by partisanship and ambition. You invoke patriotism and use words like freedom in an attempt to intimidate and bully. In doing so, you dishonor the words patriotism and freedom and dishonor the men and women who have fought wars to keep this nation a place where one can freely express their opinion without fear of reprisal or punishment. Your subservience to your friends in the administration is embarrassing to baseball and by engaging in this enterprise you show that you belong with other cowards and ideologues in a hall of infamy and shame."
In appearances on radio talk shows and other media outlets, Robbins said he was hurt and surprised by Petroskey's decision, especially considering that he and Sarandon had no intentions of making any political remarks during their visit to the Hall of Fame.
Petroskey and other officials at the Baseball Hall of Fame have thus far declined to comment on the controversy. Perhaps there is simply no defense to their position. Baseball fans, on the other hand, have not been shy about voicing their opinion: over 5,000 email messages poured into the Hall of Fame's email box (http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/contact/email_info.htm) on Thursday, most of them critical of Petroskey's decision. To paraphrase the famous "Casey at the Bat" poem, "There is no joy in Mudville. The mighty Hall of Fame has struck out."
Tim Bottorff is the Public Services Librarian at Grace Library at
Carlow College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Copyright © 2003, Tim Bottorff. All rights reserved.