There are a lot of things that I love about summer- for one thing I’ve really been enjoying the warm temperatures and the sunshine!  One thing that really stands out to me though is baseball season.  Baseball is one of those things that is always on despite the time of the day or where you are in the country, so it’s kind of hard not to associate summer with the all-American pastime.

And, I come from a family that loves baseball. When I was little there was always a game on at my Grandparents’ houses.  If it wasn’t on the TV it was on the radio or someone was checking out stats in the newspaper every morning.  I guess you can say I didn’t have a chance with all that exposure- I can’t help but like it.  I’m sure it could have gone the other way, but I’m glad that I didn’t end up hating it.

A few months ago, a friend of mine posted this article from the NY Times and it caught my eye:

click here for the full article

I had never really thought about the geography of a team’s fan base before.  With globalization and the movement of people, it’s not at all unusual to see people supporting teams from other parts of the country, or the world, than the area that they are currently in.  If you click on the link and actually use the interactive map, it’s amazing how a block here or there can change a fan base.

Now I know this has nothing to do with film, but it does have to do with documentary in the wider term of the word.  It is documenting something about the U.S. and its love for its national sport.  One thing that I find so fascinating (and terrifying) about it is that the whole thing was put together by people’s preferences and location on websites and facebook.  There’s Big Data for you…  So perhaps we do stay in our little corners of the world when it comes to baseball and we haven’t yet roamed quite as far as I had assumed.

If you are one of those crazy baseball fans out there- enjoy the rest of the season!  It’s the perfect reason to put your feet up at the end of the day and enjoy a cold drink.