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Steve Bartman Research Paper

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Cultural and Historical Environment of Sports Related to Steve Bartman’s Infamous Act
The literature and material that has arisen because of Steve Bartman’s life does little to tell of who he is. Bartman repeatedly declined to speak, even when it would be lucrative for himself. The infamous Steve Bartman incident occurred on October 14, 2003 with the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. He almost caught a foul ball that controversially might have been caught by outfielder Moisés Alou and turned the tide of the game they lost 8-3. The outpouring of blame and thrown objects forced Bartman, an avid Cubs fan, to leave, and even to sequester himself in his house for protection. This has raised issues related to …show more content…

It was eventually destroyed. It was done so by boiling down the ball and serving in sauce. The ball itself was not in the sauce, but the steam from its destruction rose into the sauce. From a property perspective, the right of the owner to destroy what is “cultural” property has come to question (Strahilevitz, 2005). Did that person have the right to desecrate what was acknowledged as an object with historic significance? Ironically, the ball parallels Bartman’s struggle. He is no guiltier than the ball, yet throughout the years he has been boiled and destroyed, for the satisfaction of Cubs fans. This superstitious act only scratches the surface of what is the Curse of the Billy Goat. This is just one tale about unfortunate incidents that occurred during Cubs games, potentially making them lose the game and continue their terrible losing streak. Regardless of whether or not people believed in superstition, Bartman’s deflection has contributed to volumes of texts about the mythological element of the Cubs’ losing “curse” (Crepeau, …show more content…

Many Cub players denounced the hatred towards Bartman as unfair. Several players went so far as to suggest inviting Bartman to a game, though he himself refused. People openly questioned the “spirit” of baseball that would happily torture an innocent Cubs’ fan for the sake of defeat or victory (Beck, 2003). Besides opinion columns and media, books chronicling sports history include Bartman as an example of the culture of fan imagination, which is significant enough to find its place in history (Cohen, 2014). And with their imagination, Cubs have entered a superstitious existence, of almost comedic futility that both fans and outsiders have constantly (and sometimes) mournfully

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