In August, I did some further research into American culture by attending a baseball and football game.
First, the BASEBALL game.
Prior research: Before moving to the US, my knowledge about baseball was based on The Simpsons (remember the one where Homer becomes the mascot?). I heard rumors that the game is boring and takes too long but that the idea of going to a ballgame is relaxing with friends while chewing on hotdogs, cracker jacks and drinking beer.
Experiment: We gathered some friends, skipped lunch and
headed towards the Citifield ballpark near Flushing Meadows, Queens for a game NY Mets vs. Colorado Rockies.
The rules? Basically, the guy with the bat needs to hit the wooden ball hard and the guy with the glove needs to catch it - depending on who succeeds, the other guys can start running or not. Of course, it's much more complicated, but as the stereotype woman I am, this is as far as my attention span goes.
Observations: The rumors are true as far as the food is concerned: hotdogs, corndogs, beer, ice cream, fries, fried dough, popcorn, smoked ribs, pulled pork and even burgers from Shake Shack. Another healthy day in New York! The rumors as far as the game itself concerned, well... The game is not too hard to follow and is actually pretty exciting. The Mets scored two homeruns, including a grand slam, and won the game (which is apparently not normal as the Mets are having a very weak season/decade).
During the innings, they keep you entertained with games, cameras, songs and trivia, time's flying!
What I learned: The words to the following very old song which everyone sings during the
"seventh inning stretch" : "Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd, Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don't care if I never get back. Let's root root root for the home team, If they don't win it's a shame, For it's one, two three strikes you're out, At the old ballgame!"
The verdict? I actually enjoyed watching it!
Second, the FOOTBALL game and I'm not talking about soccer, the popular game from Europe but its more violent American counterpart.
Prior research: Before moving to the US, my knowledge about football was based on Married With Children (remember the one showing Al Bundy's only glorious moment in life, the touchdown at highschool?). I am sceptical since watching the super bowl wasn't a big success (see my earlier post in February 2009). But I heard rumors that the live game is exciting and much more interesting than baseball, although the types of food available at the stadium are less exciting.
Experiment: We gathered some friends, had a big late lunch and headed towards the Giants stadium in New Jersey for a game New York Jets vs. St-Louis Rams.
The rules? Basically, big guys (and I mean, really really big guys) fighting each other to get a strange looking ball to the other side of the field. Of course, there's much more to it, but as the stereotype woman I am, that's as far as my attention span goes.
Observations: The rumors are true as far as the food is concerned. Hot dogs or philly cheesesteaks, if you don't like either, you're in bad luck. The rumors as far as the game concerned, well... First thing I notice is the huge number of players warming up on the field (in total about 50 per team!). Since football requires different "specialized" players (offense, defense, etc) and the tackles take their toll, about every 2 minutes the players on the field are changed. Of course, next to the players, there are also cheerleaders whose only role is looking good, jumping around and cheering. The actual game is hard to follow: the players only play about 1, maximum 2 minutes and then there's a break. It's hard to see where the ball is as it's mostly covered by a pile of big guys. There was one exciting moment, when one of the big guys was able to run from one end of the field to the other end and score a touchdown (but don't ask me which team).
What I learned? Euhm... a good way to make time pass faster, is trying to count the number of players on the field.
The verdict? Honestly, I tried but this game is just damn right boring! Which means, I'll never become a true American since this is the most popular game out there (even women like it and spend their weekends following the games *gasp*). Oh well, you can't win them all, huh?
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