In OAH Magazine of History, Vol. 25, No. 3 the article, “Baseball, 9/11, and Dissent: the Carlos Delgado Controversy” by Angel G. Flores-Rodríguez discusses how in the aftermath of the 9/11, America’s pastime helped bring the country together yet despite that not all agreed with its response in the years following. Sport unites people from all walks of life and “brings fans together in a shared sense of passion and excitement” (55) that’s unlike anything else. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, Americans were scared as to what the future held and how its government would respond. Yet despite all the fear and anxiety going around fragile country found hope in the form of its pastime: baseball. Patriotism soared to an all-time high and it visibly transformed ballparks and the game itself.

Just two years following the attacks US Armed Forces were in Iraq and Afghanistan and the patriotism that was so infectious in the months following 9/11, seemed like a distance memory. While “God Bless America” rang out in the seventh inning and fans showed support for the nation’s war effort, not everyone felt the same. In the 2004 season, then Toronto Blue Jays first baseman and Puerto Rican slugger Carlos Delgado went public with his decision to sit for the playing of the tune. He cited his disconcert with the US Navy’s decision which had stopped activity on two-thirds of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques as well the United States’ decision to test the same types of bombs that were dropped in Iraq in Vieques. Delgado received criticism from all over and was seen by some as anti-American. Fans online “argued that Delgado’s actions spelled disrespect for the victims of September 11” (56) and even some within the Blue Jays organization believed it was inappropriate to bringing politics into baseball.

In terms of data and data gathering method used in this article, interviews and surveying online sites were used as means of collecting data. The media is an essential part of sports and how they cover the players and teams themselves. They give fans an insight as to what’s going on inside the locker room and if there is anything interesting going on. And with Delgado’s decision to sit and it being plastered all over the news by the media, debate opened up which in general I think is a healthy aspect of every society.