Word Count: 654Media affects everyone and everything; There is no escape.
Media is everywhere and surrounds everything. HenryJenkins and Marshall McLuhan have differing points ofview as to what the meaning of media is. They both,however, have their particular ponits which they describewell. Jenkin’s talks about the different types of cultures thatexist, focusing on popular culture, in his essay, “WhatEveryone Should Know About Popular Culture.” Mcluhantalks about the concepts of Narcicism and the “GlobalVillage.” Both Jenkin’s and McLuhan’s ideas can befocused on a particular thing, such as Baseball. That can befurther broken down and analyzed at the team level. The Los Angeles Dodgers have most recently been thecenter of attention due to the top media coverage of theteam. The team does, however, have a great history. Theywere originally known as the Brooklyn dodgers until theymade a move to Los Angeles in 1958. They then becamethe Los Angeles Dodgers and their owner became WalterO’Malley. He was the owner and president for the nexttwenty years. After that, he passed the team down to hisson Peter. This is a great example of Jenkin’s definition ofFolk Culture. A very important item was passed downfrom generation to generation of O’Malleys, eventhough theitem was quite massive. Throughout the years, however,the Dodgers were much a part of popular culture. Baseballwas known as “America’s Favorite Past-time,” and still is.
The tradition that the O’Malley family had with the Dodgerslasted until 1998, when a big corporation, the FOX groupowned by Rupert Murdoch, took over the team. This wasa time of chan!ge, but some could argue was for the best. Being owned bythe FOX group means there is more media exposure forthe team. Now that the team is owned by Rupert Murdoch,McLuhan’s ideas about media can be implemented.
McLuhan’s concept of narcicism can clearly be seen withthe transition of the Dodgers from family-owned tocorporation-owned. The availability of large funds toacquire key players makes the Dodgers seem narcicistic.
People can think that they love themselves so much, thatthey will do anything to win. Most recently, Kevin Brown,one of the league’s top pitchers was signed to a 105 milliondollar contract for 7 years. This is the biggest contract inbaseball history. This and other aquisitions was supposedto lead the Dodgers to excellence this year. Unfortunatelyfor Dodgers fans, this did not happen. The team is 20games out of first place with no chance of making postseason play. All that can be done is look back and startthinking about next season. Unlike this season, however,the team should not talk and say they will win it all. Theyshould go out and prov!e that they can be winners, which they are. The Dodgers, as well as any other baseball team, canalmost be treated like a religion. People will attend gamesregularly and wear their team’s colors and logos, much likethe Jewish people wear their yamulkas. People follow theirteams on television, radio, and any other type of mediaavailable to them. Most recently, the Dodgers have found ahome on the internet. Fans can now watch clips of Dodgergames or even hear a game live on the internet. This relatesto McLuhan’s concept of the “Global Village.” Having livebroadcasts available on the internet is a great way forDodger fans, who might happen to be in college in the eastcoast, to listen and keep up with the latest news about theirteam. It is good knowing that one can be a Dodger fananywhere in the world. The internet facilitates the distancefactor that exists between a Dodger fan in Boston and histeam in Los Angeles. Baseball is a lot like filming a movie. It involvespre-production, the making of the movie itself, and thensome editing and post-production. In Baseball there is thepreseason, the season itself, and the postseason orplayoffs. For the Dodgers, there will be no postseason thisyear. Much like a bad movie that was trashed by theproducers. The key is not to give up and keep trying.
Dodger fans all over the world know that the year 2000 isthe year of the championship. There is no escape.
