Interpreting (the Work and the Talk
of) Baseball: Perspectives on Ballpark Culture (Trujillo, 1992) is a great
example of ethnographic research. The
intent of the article was to convey that communications between major league
baseball park employees generate and sustain three prevailing views of stadium
culture: “The ballpark as a site of
capitalist work, as a community for symbolic family members, and as a theatre
for social drama” (Trujillo, 1992, p. 350).
These interpretations are then further considered through the eyes of
three groups: romantics, functionalists,
and critics.
The author’s interpretive approaches
“focus on the symbolic aspects of
human and organizational life, revealing how interactants use symbols to make
sense of their everyday experiences” (Burrell & Morgan, 1979). Trujillo employed this approach by concentrating
on the emphasis of the subjectivity, pluralism, and dynamism of the ballpark as
an organization and deemphasizing objectivity, unity, and stability. Ethnographically, the author considered both formal
and casual communication practices of ballpark employees by collecting data
through both observations and interviews over a period of two years.
Through his
study, Trujillo concluded, “there are at least three senses of baseball
reality: the ideology of baseball as a business, the sociality of the baseball community,
and the artistry of baseball as a drama” (Trujillo, 1992, p.364). The author, having consulted subject matter
experts, noted that the aforementioned schools of thought related to baseball “have
different connotations depending on the world-views of those doing the
interpreting” (Trujillo, p.364).
Therefore, due to dissimilarities in the human experience, opinions will
vary from one person to the next.
Of the three
frameworks employed by Trujillo, I believe that I most identify with that of
the romanticist. The author stated, “Romanticists
interpret baseball in an ideal, even idyllic, way” (Trujillo, 1992, p.364). To romantics, baseball is not so much about
the business as it is about the feeling of community, artistry, and drama of
the game.
Functionalists,
noted the author, “use sport to teach us about the realities of mainstream
American culture and to demonstrate how sport helps us adapt to those realities”
(Trujillo, 1992, p.365). They consider baseball
a metaphor for American business, human assimilation into society, and social
values (Trujillo, p.365).
The
framework that appealed to me in the least was that of the critic. Trujillo noted, “Critics argue that sport is
one resource through which dominant groups in America promote hegemony” (1992,
p.365). Ever the cynic, the critic contends
that baseball is more of a business than it is a sport.
The author
believes that researchers should “interpret their data from the world-views of
the romantic, the functionalist, and
the critic” (Trujillo, 1992, p.366). These
perspectives expose realities that the interpretive researcher can employ to
uncover multiple dimensions of an organization.
It was
apparent that Trujillo relied solely on qualitative data in writing his
article. Downs and Adrian (2004) noted
that the influence of both qualitative and quantitative data “make better
interpretations by synthesizing all the data, and they produce richer, more
detailed final reports” (p.42). They go
on to state, “In addition, they are less likely to gloss over contradictions
between the two types of data” (p.42). I
feel that while the author did an excellent job or relaying his message, his
methodology leaned heavily on quantitative research methodology and could have
employed more quantitative research. I
did not find that the article was particularly earthshattering, nor has it
impacted the way that I might view an organization. Nevertheless, it did provide me with another excellent
example of the importance of ethnographic research and assessment of
organizational communications.
Cited:
Burrell, G.,
& Morgan, G. (1979). Sociological
paradigms and organizational analysis: elements of the sociology of corporate life. London: Heinemann.
Downs, C.
W., & Adrian, A. D. (2004). Assessing
organizational communication: strategic communication audits. New York:
Guilford Press.
Trujillo, N.
(1992). Interpreting (the work and talk of) baseball: Perspectives on ballpark
culture. Western Journal of Communication, 56, 350-371.
