Progressives need to break out of the cultural isolation which prevents us from engaging the attention of larger sectors of our society. Sports is a place to start. By and large the left ignores sports, condemns it as a violent manifestation of patriarchal power, or reduces it to a bread and circus extravaganza which can only distract people from the real work of political activism. There's much truth in all of the above. Unlike television or the movies, which rely on an ethic of individualized consumption, sports by their very nature bring large numbers of people together in a common endeavor.
Baseball is a vital part of America's popular culture.
Developments on the diamond do have an impact on society. The struggle of Jackie Robinson, and other less celebrated African Americans, served as a bellwether in beginning to dismantle segregation in the 1950s. Tens of millions of people are passionate about baseball. They realize, on some level, that corporate greed is destroying something they love.