Over the last few years there’s been some discussion about the decline of America’s pastime. Major League Baseball viewers are said to be the oldest of any sport and the number of children playing Little League Baseball has dropped sharply. There have been concerns about on-field diversity, particularly focused on the decline of African-American players as well as the lack of manager diversity.
Baseball has had its share of recent concerns, but if a series ever had the potential to alleviate many ills; the power to re-engage a generation of fans; the matchup between Chicago and Cleveland held that promise. This year’s World Series was a faceoff between two teams that hadn’t won a world series since 1948 (Cleveland) and 1908 (Chicago). In 1948, the first Model T could be purchased for $850. In 1908, a movie ticket cost $0.60. In 2016, these two teams drew millions of viewers, with the first five games ranking in the top 7 programs watched last week. Two games also made the top 10 list among African Americans. As Chicago pushed the series to 3-3 earlier this week, erasing a 3-1 deficit, the stars seemed aligned to crown Major League Baseball the big winner…
Then there’s Chief Wahoo.
At a time when the Standing Rock Sioux tribes fight to protect sacred land against the Dakota Access pipeline is peaking, Cleveland Indians fans are showing up to the World Series in red face paint and feathers. Native American groups have put new energy into their protests since the playoffs began and with Cleveland’s continued success, more people began talking about the insensitivity of Chief Wahoo. The club itself has made attempts to distance themselves from their mascot, using the “Block C”, but their post season success has brought Chief Wahoo back to prominence amongst players and fans.
Now that the World Series is over in thrilling, extra inning fashion, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfredo will meet with team owner Paul Dolan to discuss Chief Wahoo’s future. We’ll see whether the mascot survives this most recent round of pressure, or if Cleveland’s World Series loss will also be his last appearance.
