In response to the challenge of strangers, sport arose as a sublimated representation of a community's armed might as well as its pride of place and clan. John Thorn arisearmchallenge Change image and share on social
Donning a glove for a backyard toss, or watching a ball game, or just reflecting upon our baseball days, we are players again, forever young. John Thorn backyardballbaseball Change image and share on social
Pursuing employment or climatic relief, we live in voluntary exile from our extended families and our longer past, but in an involuntary exile from ourselves and our own past. John Thorn climaticemploymentexile Change image and share on social
This was nostalgia in the literal Greek sense: the pain of not being able to return to one's home and family. John Thorn familygreekhome Change image and share on social
More fundamentally, it is a dream that does not die with the onset of manhood: the dream is to play endlessly, past the time when you are called home for dinner, past the time of doing chores, past the time when your body betrays you past time itself. John Thorn betraybodycall share on social
Do we settle on a regional team because we can go to its ballpark and see its games on television? Or do we choose a team as our favorite because it has an especially appealing player, a Barry Bonds or an Ichiro? John Thorn appealballparkbarry share on social
Distant replay morphs into instant replay, and future replay cannot be far off. John Thorn distantfutureinstant Change image and share on social
In over 160 years of recorded baseball history, no team had ever won a championship this way. John Thorn baseballchampionshiphistory Change image and share on social
This illuminates not only fans' interest in major league teams but also the minors and even Little League. John Thorn fanilluminateinterest Change image and share on social
Better than anything else in our culture, it enables fathers and sons to speak on a level playing field while building up from within a personal history of shared experience - a group history - that may be tapped into at will in years to come. John Thorn buildcultureenable share on social
