Scapegoat and Society:An Analysis of Ritual Blaming Practices inMajor League Baseball
By Alex PrewittHistory 122: America and the National PastimeProfessor Sol GittlemanDecember 13, 2011
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DEDICATIONS
To my parents, who like all other humans love to make excuses.To coach John Cornwell, for teaching me that the two most important things about baseball are:“No picking your nose and no eating bugs.”To Fred Merkle, Fred Snodgrass, Bill Buckner and Steve Bartman, for shouldering the blame of entire fan bases.To Professor Sol Gittleman, for teaching me at once about baseball and the world.2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page....................................................................................................................................................1Dedication...................................................................................................................................................2Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................................3Preface........................................................................................................................................................4CHAPTER 1: Origins of the Scapegoat...................................................................................................7
Characteristics of the Scapegoat..............................................................................................................9Historical Examples..............................................................................................................................10
CHAPTER 2: Rene Girard & Ritual Blaming Practices......................................................................14CHAPTER 3: Fred Merkle, The Original Scapegoat...........................................................................18
Background............................................................................................................................................19Merkle’s Boner.....................................................................................................................................20The Aftermath.......................................................................................................................................21
CHAPTER 4: Fred Snodgrass................................................................................................................24CHAPTER 5: ‘The Ball Gets By Buckner’............................................................................................29
‘The Ball Gets By Buckner’..................................................................................................................30The Aftermath.......................................................................................................................................32
CHAPTER 6: Steve Bartman and the Outsider....................................................................................36
The Man With The Headphones............................................................................................................37A Story About The Fans.......................................................................................................................40
CHAPTER 7: Resolutions and Cathartic Homecomings......................................................................43Bibliography.............................................................................................................................................46
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