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Baseball And Softball Are The Victim Of It Essay

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It is hard to feel injustice if you do not realize you are the victim of it. Logistically, baseball and softball are different sports although they seem very similar. Confusing them as the same sport seems innocent enough, until you truly begin to understand the differences and why they exist. It is nationally understood that baseball is for boys and softball is for girls. The girls’ sport is baseball, but softer. It is meant to be easier and less complicated than baseball. The difference between a baseball and a softball is three inches (Rules of Sport). It is amazing the amount of oppression caused by those three inches.
If the heroines in Ring’s book were treated fairly, surely there would not be such a book. Men, significantly Spalding, took a widely accepted coed’s game and turned it into a game that shows masculinity and is a “man maker” (Ring, page 57). Due to his own insecurities, Spalding turned baseball into a way to prove his worth and his manliness. After all, it sure is hard to prove you are a man when you are getting beat by women, right? The ironic part about Spalding’s claim is that while baseball is decidedly a men’s game, it does not fit the general definition of “manly.” There is rarely contact or much movement. Most of the team members are standing in the dugout for the majority of the game. You can be out of shape and still be a baseball player, Babe Ruth for example. Regardless, the problem with Spalding’s behavior is that it made a difference. It took
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