LouLife [1]

Louisville is the fourth largest TV market in the nation without the graces of major league franchises within its city limits. With all due respect to the Reds, in this instance, this does make for a rather more partisan approach to high school, college and the aforementioned minor leagues than in other locales. Our high schools are well-represented in local competitions, and U of L sent their team to the College World Series in 2007, as part of the elite eight. On a more local level, little league and school programs impact, and are influenced by, countless families in our region. The cultures of sport, fair play, teamwork and effort and reward are instilled in our children at a young age, readying them for life in the workforce, or, just maybe, as a professional athlete.

Which leads us on to return to thoughts of how a simple bat and ball game reflects and intertwines with wider aspects of our culture. Communities are defined by many and multiple factors, one of which, in certain times and places, is how and why they support particular sports teams. Teams which win gain more support, and have wide economic and social impacts on areas. It’s interesting to ponder the impact on our city that not having a major league team has had and continues to have, and the effect that not having one does have. Perhaps this situation will change in the future, and MLB will come a-calling.

But this is not to say, of course, that we do not have access to some of the finest pitching and hitting right here in the River City. Baseball’s popularity continues to grow, with more and more people catching on (no pun intended) to the spectacle and occasion of the nation’s pastime. With its appeal to many different kinds of folks, and, as we have seen, its impact on culture and everyday lives, baseball’s special place in the heart of Louisvillians, and the public in general, continues to flourish and grow.
 

Photo: Flickr.com/saxcubano [4]