RICHLAND, Wash. – Baseball is America’s favorite game, but it is more than just a sport to watch or play.
For many, baseball serves a quasi-religious function by its central theme of hope: “safe hit,” “touching base,” “coming home.” More pragmatically, baseball has been a surprisingly innovative engine of social change, as shown by its recurring episodes of inclusion, from the Irish to Ichiro.
Expanding on these themes, Seattle historian William Woodward will present a free, public lecture, “Coming Home: Baseball’s America,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the East Building Auditorium, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland, at Washington State University Tri-Cities.
For many, baseball serves a quasi-religious function by its central theme of hope: “safe hit,” “touching base,” “coming home.” More pragmatically, baseball has been a surprisingly innovative engine of social change, as shown by its recurring episodes of inclusion, from the Irish to Ichiro.
Expanding on these themes, Seattle historian William Woodward will present a free, public lecture, “Coming Home: Baseball’s America,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the East Building Auditorium, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland, at Washington State University Tri-Cities.
Woodward will lead a conversation using metaphors of hope, homecoming and meaning to trace the history of the game and the nation. Whimsical and informative, the program will prompt a look at how baseball is emblematic of American culture.
Woodward is a professor of history at Seattle Pacific University, where he is known for teaching excellence, campus leadership and meritorious scholarship. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, Woodward has received the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Coming Home: Baseball’s America” is part of the 2013 College of Arts and Sciences Season of Events at WSU Tri-Cities. Co-sponsor Humanities Washington is a vital partner and a flagship nonprofit that provides free educational and cultural programs based in the humanities. It is especially committed to serving the cities and rural communities on the eastern side of the state. For more information, visit http://www.humanities.org/calendar-events.
WSU Tri-Cities is located along the scenic Columbia River in Richland, Wash. Established in 1989 with upper division and graduate programs, WSU Tri-Cities expanded in 2007 to a four-year undergraduate campus offering 18 bachelor’s, 10 master’s and six doctoral degree programs. Learn about the most diverse campus in the WSU system at http://www.tricity.wsu.edu.
WSU Tri-Cities is located along the scenic Columbia River in Richland, Wash. Established in 1989 with upper division and graduate programs, WSU Tri-Cities expanded in 2007 to a four-year undergraduate campus offering 18 bachelor’s, 10 master’s and six doctoral degree programs. Learn about the most diverse campus in the WSU system at http://www.tricity.wsu.edu.