Warning: the following video is not edited and contains inappropriate language
Analysis by Kelly Johanson in SRM 334 (section 1)
After the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon in April, it’s like a fairy tale ending that the Red Sox won the World Series. Just like New York in 2001, sports in Boston have provided an escape and a safe haven for the fans. People in Boston have been waiting for something to cheer them up and they finally got it. In one of the articles we read it talked about the victory parade and how the duck boats stopped at the marathon finish line. Jonny Gomes got off his boat and put the trophy on the finish line and it was closure to something that had been devastating for that city. Every article we read revolved around the phrase “Boston Strong”. These two words drove the city to recover and gave them something to rally behind. Victims of the bombings were welcomed to games and many of them threw out the first pitch at different games. The Red Sox players showed their support off the field as well. They went to visit five different hospitals and didn’t want anyone to plan it for them; they wanted to go in small groups.
The phrase and hash tag ‘BostonStrong’ has gained much more popularity than people thought it ever would. It first gained popularity on twitter, especially when 3rd baseman Will Middlebrooks shared it on twitter. It was trending on twitter almost every time the Red Sox played. Now the phrase is on clothing, it’s used during news reports, on the radio and is recognizable around the world. What makes this phrase so popular is that it is short, you can say it pretty much along any lines and it will fit in any situation that surrounds Boston. It clearly describes Boston as being a resilient city that can make it through anything and that has been transferred to all of Boston’s sports. At the very end of the Bruins season they said it for them but it really has been the Red Sox’ mantra for the last 7 months. The marathon bombings and all the people injured have really given the Red Sox a chance to get major media attention. Whether the players wanted the attention for visiting victims in the hospitals or not, they got it. Everything that this team has done has been under the microscope and the people of Boston are looking at them for what they should do. People use sports to rally and that’s definitely what happened in Boston. The media made the Red Sox into the heroes of Boston. I think that the media created so much sympathy for the team that even people who would never root for the Red Sox began to cheer for them. As a Yankee fan I’ve always been against the Red Sox but when the World Series started I found myself hoping that the Red Sox to win. People wanted them to win because of everything they’ve dealt with over the last several months and so that this story had a happy ending. The media definitely portrayed all of this and it has made an incredible story for them to write about.
This all relates to our class because one of the biggest themes we’ve talked about on our class is social media and the popularity of twitter. The use of twitter during the marathon bombings and ever since has been getting bigger and bigger. Twitter breaks so many stories and is the first place most people learn about the news. We’ve also talked about the influence that the media can have on our perceptions. Everyone feels sympathy for Boston and everything that happened to them but the media has definitely built a huge story about overcoming hardships. These elaborate stories and seeing the victims has made non-Red Sox fans want to cheer for this team.
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Analysis by Megan Verpent in SRM 334 (section 1)
The Boston Red Sox are not typically referred to as “America’s team” in fact, many still reference them as the most racist team in Major League Baseball; not only were the last team to break the race barrier and sign an African American player, but “the image of black athletes experiencing racism, especially on the Red Sox, lingers.”(Montville, 1991). Despite the external critiques and the looming curses Boston had previously faced, this year the Red Sox became America’s team. This is in large part due the media’s portrayal of the organization and its players as not only as baseball players, but hometown heroes based on the way they responded to the Boston Marathon bombings which occurred at the beginning out the 2013 season in April.
Though our presentation focused on the post-World-Series champion Red Sox, we examined an article which was published by ESPN prior to the conclusion of the World-Series. It already depicted Boston as America’s baseball team. This article about the events of marathon bombings as well as the Red Sox regular season. However, the article did not just include the recorded wins and losses by the Red Sox, it also included personal stories of people who survived the bombing. The article featured Heather Abbott’s backstory. She survived the bombing, but lost a portion of her leg and was forced to relearn hot to walk. She threw out the first pitch of one of Boston’s home games at Fenway Park. The article concludes with how the Red Sox organization has helped in the recovery of the individuals affected by the marathon bombings as well as Boston as a community.
Most articles which are featured on ESPN.com and in ESPN the Magazine focus on sport. However, this article, “'Boston Strong' ... Sox have lived it” the game of baseball is a backstory. The victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and the way the Red Sox organization responded was the focal point. David Ortiz was no longer a designated hitter, the media solidified him as a symbol of the reuniting of Boston. The timing of this article’s publication, pre-championship, conveys the message that the media wanted America to understand which was, root for the Red Sox because a World-Series win would be bigger than baseball. There was no mention of the St. Louis Cardinals or the playoffs during this article which explains once again that the 2013 World-Series was not about baseball. ESPN, as well as other media outlets, focused on the victims recovering from injuries suffered in the attacks and the players of the Red Sox visiting or helping them. This was a way to garner non-baseball fans and engage them in the baseball season. Essentially, they used this angle to sympathize with the city of Boston and the victims to gain more viewers and fans.
Sport is directly linked to our everyday lives. Often when there is a tragedy, such as September 11, 2001, or the Boston Marathon bombing, people use sports as a way to escape. This is an example of how sport media outlets, including this article by ESPN reached beyond the average fan. Sport media does not only affect the way in which we watch sports, but also in the way which we relate to events in everyday life.
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