Baseball Player Carlos Delgado’s Summer of Discontent: Dissent and the National Pastime

Carlos Delgado is one of major league baseball’s best kept secrets. The slugging first baseman of Puerto Rican descent is the career home run leader for the Toronto Blue Jays. But he is less well known south of the Great Lakes. That is until some sportswriters noticed that whenever “God Bless America” is played, Delgado usually stays in the clubhouse until the song, which has replaced “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in some ballparks during the seventh inning stretch, is finished.

What’s not to like about “God Bless America,” which became a national pastime standard when the sport resumed after 9/11? Delgado associates the song with justifying American military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Blue Jay star politely informed reporters that 9/11 was a tragedy, but he also feels for the people of Afghanistan and Iraq who have been killed as the result of military action. Delgado termed the Bush invasion of Iraq as the “stupidest war ever.” The ballplayer has also protested against U. S. military use of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques for weapons testing.

Carlos Delgado is a man of conscience, who has quietly exercised his patriotic right of free speech. His antiwar views have caused little stir in Canada where there is considerable opposition to American foreign policy. However, this courageous man was less well received during a recent visit to Yankee Stadium in New York City, where he was jeered and greeted with chants of “ USA, USA.” Delgado, nevertheless, maintained his integrity and was nowhere to be seen during “God Bless America.” Delgado’s contract will expire at the end of the season, and the Blue Jays, experiencing a poor season, are interested in trading him for future prospects. Delgado has some reservations about how he will be received in the United States. The slugging first baseman recognizes that there is little room for dissent and free speech in baseball. Just ask Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, whose appearance at the National Baseball Hall of Fame to commemorate the film Bull Durham was cancelled due to their antiwar beliefs.

For those of us who love baseball, but oppose the American invasion of Iraq, a trip to the ballpark or even watching a game on television is often an uncomfortable experience as one feels compelled to participate in rituals celebrating American militarism. While the “Star Spangled Banner” offers images of war, it is the national anthem, and I am honored to participate in this patriotic tradition. Like Delgado, however, I have trouble with “God Bless America” in the ballparks. Initially used as a means to honor the memory of those who perished on 9/11, it is now employed to support the occupation of Iraq, which has no connection with the events of 9/11. Yet such public rituals assume a relationship between 9/11 and Iraq which the 9/11 Commission has dismissed; although Vice President Cheney and Fox News do not appear to be listening.

Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” also has some other troubling qualities. It is a song about American exceptionalism, which assumes that Americans are “God’s chosen people.” This is the concept of manifest destiny which has been used to justify the territorial expansion and intervention of such conflicts as the Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, and President Reagan’s undeclared war against Nicaragua in Central America. Folksinger Woody Guthrie was so disgusted by Berlin’s patriotic drivel that he composed in response “This Land Is Your Land.” Guthrie wanted a more inclusive rather than exclusive definition of what American means.

Many ballgames also begin with celebrations of American militarism featuring low flying military planes and precision paratroop drops. Shortly after marching in an antiwar demonstration, I attended the opening day ceremonies at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque. The game began with an over flight of fighter planes, and the contest concluded with a fireworks display, featuring patriotic music and portions of George W. Bush’s speech authorizing the invasion of Iraq. Thus, I was expected to unthinkingly embrace the actions of a president who betrayed the principles of natural rights and self-determination upon which this nation was founded.

Nor can we escape such conflicting moments when watching baseball on television, unless the sound is turned off. Especially with the games carried on Fox, the announcer proclaims our allegiance to the troops who are fighting in Iraq so that we may enjoy the freedom to watch baseball games. With no disrespect to the troops who had no say in the decision to invade Iraq, these insipid remarks fail to recognize that many of us believe that the Iraqi adventure has endangered our freedoms and security by squandering valuable resources which could have been employed against al Qaeda. The assumption is that the military is above discussion and debate. This embracing of militarism does not bode well for democracy at the ballpark or in the country.

Carlos Delgado has exercised his right of dissent, but he now understands that the ballpark is a politically contentious arena. Delgado deserves credit for bringing the democratic process into baseball; understanding that patriotism is about assuring that a nation and its people remain true to their founding principles and not blindly follow authority. Let us hope that the gifted athlete/patriot finds a welcoming home in the national pastime.