Baseball has long been considered America s national pastime, touted variously as a healthy diversion, a symbol of national unity, and a model of democratic inclusion. But, according to Michael Butterworth, such favorable rhetoric belies baseball s complicity in the rhetorical construction of a world defined by good and evil.
"Baseball and Rhetorics of Purity" is an investigation into the culture and mythology of baseball, a study of its limits and failures, and an invitation to remake the game in a more democratic way. It pays special attention to baseball s role in the reconstruction of...