Memorial Day is a time when Americans are supposed to honor the sacrifices of the U.S. military. We all pay our respects differently, and there’s no right or wrong way to express gratitude for fallen soldiers and those who are currently serving. If you go to a fair number of baseball games, you’ve probably noticed that MLB teams pay their respects in a number of ways. For example, at Miller Park, during one of the early inning breaks, the Brewers salute an individual member of the military who stands on the home dugout while the crowd gives him/her a standing ovation. Since today is Memorial Day, one presumes there may be other displays of patriotism and appreciation of the armed forces, in addition to the now traditional “God Bless America” during the seventh inning stretch.
So are these tributes just hollow gestures, or what? That’s the subject of a recent Adam Kilgore article in the Washington Post. No one doubts the sincerity of those who stand and applaud the servicemen and women being recognized at MLB games. But after the applause subsides, everyone goes about their business like nothing happened. The average fan probably pays closer attention to (and has greater emotional investment in) the Crazy Cap Shuffle. Have such displays of appreciation become so perfunctory that they are no longer meaningful?
For his article, Kilgore interviewed a veteran with an interesting perspective on MLB tributes to the military:
“It’s a box-checked kind of thing,” said former Army Ranger Rory Fanning, who has become a vocal critic of America’s foreign wars. “The way you support our soldiers is by asking them questions about what happened when they’re overseas and to talk to them about what they did. I don’t think sporting events is a proper place for that. There’s very little critical discussion. These things have a way of washing over all those questions.” […]
Fanning also fears that ritual thanking of troops stifles critical thinking about the military, and he believes it leads indirectly to more soldiers in harm’s way.
“By thanking the military as regularly as we do, number one, it assumes that what the military is doing overseas is noble and just and right,” Fanning said. “ . . . By having this regular commercial for the military, there’s a presumption that what happens overseas is good for the country.”
Not to get too political on a sports blog, but it seems worth considering how such pervasive displays of military appreciation might subtly affect how the American public at large thinks about wars in general. There’s no question that Americans broadly support the troops – polling data for years has found the military is the most respected institution in American society. But just because we say we admire the military, does it really mean we have their best interests at heart?
Another interesting story that is making the rounds this Memorial Day is about how those who serve in the military are largely separated from the vast majority of us who do not. Yesterday’s L.A. Times had an article headlined “U.S. Military and Civilians Increasingly Divided” that notes only 0.5% of the U.S. population is enlisted, which is the lowest rate since between World Wars I and II. Also, about half of all active duty military reside in just five states. Americans may say we love the military, but very few of us actually know the military personally. If we did, would we think a 30-second recognition of their service at a baseball game was a fitting tribute?
I’m on record as being skeptical about displays of patriotism in general, and I too am separated from military culture, so I’m in no position to judge how anyone chooses to honor the troops on Memorial Day. I would just suggest maybe it’s worth thinking about the implications of the habitual demonstrations of patriotism we are invited to participate in at baseball games. The crowd that stands and applauds may be earnest, but even if it’s not a totally empty gesture, it’s a very inexpensive one. Such displays of easy patriotism may not be the best ways to thank the troops for their service and sacrifice.
(Image: Cait Covers the Bases)
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