Summary of Football Red and Baseball Greeen

SUMMARY OF MURRAY ROSS’ “FOOTBALL RED AND BASEBALL GREEN”

Murray Ross in “Football Red and Baseball Green” emphasizes the popularity and compares the differences of sports in the United States. In particular, the professional sports of baseball and football are compared and analyzed. The author believes “each sport contains a fundamental myth which it elaborates for its fans” making them feel, if only for a short time, they are a part of the world that the players are bringing to life. The contrast between the two sports is described as pastoral (baseball) vs. heroic (football). This relationship describes the differences, especially in the activity level, of the two sports.

Baseball was an instant success during the industrial revolution. It was “conceived in nostalgia” at a time when the American people needed a break from the commotion of real life. The entire structure of baseball is formatted to resemble and imitate a peaceful life, from the...