Last summer I wrote a series on Anthrodendum about beaches and baseball. I plan to do a bit more of the same this summer. Considering everything that’s going on in the world these days, this may be a retreat into escapism, and I’ll own that. Of course, baseball isn’t immune to the politics, inequalities, and complexities of humanity by any means (see this recent series by the journalist Jerry Brewer, for starters), but it’s still possible to find moments of respite here and there.

Baseball is good like that, at least for me. But what’s funny is that I often end up ‘taking a break’ by watching or going to baseball games–and then end up thinking through all kinds of things by thinking about baseball. What a total social scientist move. So much for the break!