Last week, the Baseball Hall of Fame canceled plans to celebrate the 15th anniversary of ‘Bull Durham,’ the superb movie about life in the minor leagues. The reason? Its costars, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, had spoken out against the war on Iraq. The Hall of Fame claimed it did not want to be pro-war or anti-war. Said Dale Petroskey, its president, on the Hall’s Web site: “As an institution, we stand behind our president and our troops in this conflict.”

Say what?
This act of censorship violates American values. Robbins and Sarandon, partners on and off the screen, had not planned to protest at the Hall of Fame. This disinvitation goes beyond limiting dissent at Cooperstown. It silences dissenters. It encourages others to exclude people with unpopular views, which discourages people for their exercising their freedom anywhere. And the freedom to express our thoughts is the bedrock of American democracy.
Since when did supporting our troops mean silencing the dissenting voices? Haven’t our troops fought to give Iraqis the very freedom to speak?
The Hall of Fame’s action is also unsportsmanlike. In a letter to Robbins, Petroskey wrote that his “very public criticism of President Bush at this important — and sensitive — time in our nation’s history helps undermine the U.S. position, which could put our troops in even more danger.” So dissenters are aiding the enemy! Now that’s hitting below the belt. The insinuations of disloyalty also shatter the Hall’s neutral pose.
In sports, rules ensure fair play. Sports fans accept whether their teams win or lose, because the rules are neutral. They apply to everyone. Not so off the field. After basketball star Steve Nash wore a T-shirt saying “No War / Shoot for Peace” last month, team owner Mark Cuban reportedly told players not to talk about the war. Then he wore a flag-waving T-shirt himself.
Here’s a secret: On the political spectrum, the sports world is hardly neutral. It often huddles on the right, near the land of country music, which just witnessed the burning of Dixie Chicks CDs. At least no one is ripping Steve Nash basketball cards. What do track legend Jim Ryun, football star Steve Largent and Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning have in common? They were elected to Congress, largely on their celebrity status. They are also conservative Republicans.
Dale Petroskey himself served President Ronald Reagan as assistant press secretary and as spokesman for the Department of Transportation. “I don’t think we’ll ever see another president like Ronald Reagan,” he once gushed to the Daily Star, which covers Cooperstown. Not surprisingly, the Hall’s Development Advisory Group includes W. Dennis Thomas, another member of Reagan’s staff, and Robb LaKritz, a current Bush Administration lawyer. No wonder we’re told to “stand behind our president”!
Being neutral is often difficult. The only solution to our bias is not to discriminate against other views. Only a bad sport tries to disqualify opponents from a game before it starts.
Finally, this decision profanes the spirit of “Bull Durham.” This funny and sexy film reveals a little-seen side of sports. Where the Hall of Fame puts athletes on a remote pedestal, “Bull Durham” pokes fun at their flaws and brings you into their daily lives. While the Hall admits a select few, the movie is about the countless boys of summer who play in obscurity for just one chance at The Show.
Ron Shelton, the writer and director of “Bull Durham,” also made “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Tin Cup.” In those films, the most dynamic character is not a man. And she’s not an athlete. Sarandon plays Annie, a smart, sassy woman who isn’t afraid to tell off the men in her life. She takes under her wing a cocky young prospect named Nuke (Robbins), who has a “million-dollar arm and five-cent head.” His saving grace? He learns to listen.
If only the five-cent heads in this world could follow his lead.