For the majority of my life, I’ve grown up in Bridgeport. Characterized by billowing White Sox flags, a smattering of sports bars, and a disdain for Cubs fans, this place is home. Some of my fondest childhood memories are going to games with my dad on hot summer days, wearing an oversized Paulie jersey, eating …show more content…
For many, baseball represents the innocence of childhood. Many adults can recall moments when they played catch in the backyard or gathered with friends for a quick game in the park. For others, it’s a lifestyle. Hardcore fantasy players, professional players, coaches, and the little kid who dreams of becoming a superstar, all live, sleep, and eat baseball. For me, I believe baseball represents the best humanity has to offer: diversity. Years before the Civil Rights Movement, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional sports after signing to the Dodgers. He was soon followed by several other greats, such as Barry Bonds and Willie Mays, making baseball arguably one of the most diverse sports. Today, players from around the world play in the MLB and baseball is recognized as an Olympic Sport. In terms of gender, we are closer and closer to the moment when women will join the MLB. There’s strength in this diversity, where our differences create the innovation that fuels the world, that enables baseball to be everybody’s sport. I believe it is this diversity that allows baseball to us bring us together. And at a time when our nation is more divided than ever, it astounding to realize that something as simple as baseball's can still unite us