Promotional Information

Investigates the mystique of the ballpark

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments INTRODUCTIONThe Sociology of Green Monsters and Broken CursesBOSTON BELIEVESFenway Park, a "Lyrical Little Bandbox"THE BIRTH OF AN URBAN BALLPARKLeisure, Nostalgia, and the Baseball Creed THE BALLPARK AT RESTThe Civic Partnership between Boston, the Red Sox, and the Fenway Faithful OBJECTS OF FAITH AND CONSUMPTION Souvenirs, Replicas, and Other Representations of Fenway Park SOME DIAMONDS ARE NOT FOREVERDebating the Future of Fenway Park BELIEVE IN BOSTONRed Sox Nation and the Cultural Power of Place APPENDIXMaking the Familiar Strange: Urban Sociology at the Ballpark Notes Bibliography Index About the Author

About the Author

Michael Ian Borer is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Reviews

"Along with his astute social scientific insight, Borer also includes plenty of first-person accounts of the ballpark from Red Sox greats like Carl Yastrzemski and Johnny Pesky and from regular Bostonians and out-of-town baseball fans. This ability to intermingle scholarly research with America's beloved pastime has allowed Borer to write an astute academic treatise that has the appeal of a consumer sports pub." Publishers Weekly "Borer assesses the attraction of Fenway Park through his own expert lens. The results ... will prove invaluable not only to Red Sox and more general baseball scholars but also to students of urban life, the organization of limited inner-city space, social psychology and collective memory, how a baseball park can become a cultural shrine, and a cohorts shared values--not to mention Fenway's contributions to our understanding of fandom." Library Journal "Boston's Fenway Park has become as valued as any star player in those cities and as much an attraction as the teams themselves. Borer, a sociologist and lifelong New Englander, explores the history of Fenway and its place in Boston's culture through research and interviews with players, stadium personnel, fans, and team owners ... [H]e explains Fenway's place in the culture as an example of identity continuity. Fenway is an emotional anchor for fans in the sense that it encompasses a part of an individual's past and present." Booklist "A must-have item for Red Sox fans who champion their old stadium." Maine Sunday Telegram "Michael Ian Borer's Faithful to Fenway: Believing in Boston, Baseball, and America's Most Beloved Ballpark gives proper props to the Red Sox home since 1912." Sacramento Bee "A fascinating book!!" Doug Miller, for MLB.com "Borer has captured the magic of Fenway Park." Doris Kearns Goodwin "Even Yankee fans will have much to consider from this book, published so soon after the Red Sox curse has ended. This is an important work of the sociology of sport and of urban sociology." Gary Alan Fine, author of With the Boys: Little League Baseball and Pre-adolescent Culture "Even if you don't already love the Red Sox, you'll love this account of the stories people tell about why Fenway matters." Nancy T. Ammerman, author of Everyday Religion: Observing Modern Religious Lives "Faithful to Fenway is a must-have item for the Red Sox fans who champion their old stadium despite its uncomfortable seats." Portland Press Herald "Borer haunted Fenway Park for several season. He talked to players, executives, vendors, fans. Trot Nixon discussed the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry with him, and former Red Sox second basemen Mike Andrews described the sadness of being traded." The Falmouth Enterprise