In the heart of downtown Los Angeles nestled within the valley of Chavez Ravine lies Dodger Stadium. Overlooking green valleys and rolling hills with the skyscrapers of the city behind it, Dodger Stadium appears as the epitome of peace in bustling Los Angeles. Few would fathom that beneath this sanctum of the Los Angeles Dodgers resides a village of Mexican Americans. Critics ranging from muralist Judy Baca, to academic writers Tara Yosso and David García, to the people displaced themselves argue that the creation of Dodger Stadium can never be justified because it destroyed a village. The construction of Dodger Stadium served the common good according to the definition given in the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. The demolition of Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop was the fault of the City Housing Authority (CHA), not owner Walter O’Malley who capitalized on Chavez Ravine at the right moment. O’Malley was primarily a businessman who was in charge of the team to make money in order to satisfy thousands of customers while supporting the club’s workers. Finally, the majority of people living in Los Angeles supported the addition of a baseball team which would in turn benefit the city itself.
Before jumping into an argument, it is essential to detail the situation that occurred at Chavez Ravine and to define the common good. In his article “Housing, Baseball, and Creeping Socialism The Battle of Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles, 1949-1959” Thomas S. Hines gives a detailed history of Chavez Ravine. He writes that it was primarily settled by Mexican Americans who built their own housing and settled happily. Due to “’substandard’” housing though, the CHA chose the neighborhood as recipient of new housing by the National Hou...
... middle of paper ...
...3 (1980): 261-289. America: History & Life. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
Hines, Thomas S. "Housing, Baseball, And Creeping Socialism." Journal Of Urban History 8.2 (1982): 123. America: History & Life. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
Parson, Don. "This Modern Marvel": Bunker Hill, Chavez Ravine, And The Politics Of Modernism In Los Angeles." Southern California Quarterly 75.3 (1993): 333-350. America: History & Life. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
Sullivan, N.J. The Dodgers Move West: The Transfer Of The Brooklyn Baseball Franchise To Los Angeles. New York; United States: Oxford University Press, 1987. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
Voigt, David Q. "They Shaped The Game: Nine Innovators Of Major League Baseball." Baseball History 1.1 (1986): 5-22. America: History & Life. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.
Walter O’Malley The Official Website. 2011. O'Malley Seidler Partners, LLC. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. ,
The Dallas Cowboys, America’s football team, one of the most well known professional football franchises in the sport’s history. The Cowboys own five super bowl titles, which were won in ’71, ’77, ’92, ’93 and ’95. They are also home to 19 renowned individuals who have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame including standout football stars Tony Dorsett, Emmit Smith, and Troy Aikman. Established in 1960, the Cowboys have been a dominating force on the field and still continue to produce to this day. Forbes wrote, “The Cowboys franchise value reaches over 1.85 billion and are listed as the third most valued sports team in the world”, (Page 1). With all of this hype and world wide recognition the powerhouse from Dallas needs a venue just as prominent as the team itself as well as having the capability to hold all the weight the Cowboys name carries.
The tone of Whitewashed Adobe delivers an ethnic and cultural history of Los Angeles. The author, William Deverell, indicates “Los Angeles has been the city of the future for a long time.” The book takes a revealing and harsh look at prejudice, political power and control in the early vision of 19th century Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. Deverell’s main interest is the economically, culturally and politically powerful Anglos and their view of ethnicity and race that enabled them to distance themselves from the Mexican people. Whitewashed Adobe’s six chapters illuminate how these men “appropriated, absorbed, and occasionally obliterated” Mexican sites and history in going forth with their vision for Los Angeles.
Cubs and moved his new team to the three year old stadium. Later that year
...rises me that little to few people know the true past of California and I believe that it should be taught in high school. I also never knew about the unfortunate circumstances of all the Chicanos that were relocated and lied to in order to build the Dodgers Stadium. Being relocated by force essentially and promised a better living condition where they have priorities that was never built. I have been a Dodger fan my whole life and never thought about the location of the stadium and how they obtained it. The worst part is I see so many Chicanos at the games and are die hard Dodger fans that don 't know the complete story.
Hines, Thomas S. “Housing, Baseball, and Creeping Socialism The Battle of Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles, 1949-1959.” Journal of Urban History, 8.2 (1982): 123-143. Print.
Years ago, there was once a small town called Chaves Ravine within Los Angeles, California and this town was a poor rural community that was always full of life. Two hundred families, mostly Chicano families, were living here quite peacefully until the Housing Act of 1949 was passed. The Federal Housing Act of 1949 granted money to cities from the federal government to build public housing projects for the low income. Los Angeles was one of the first cities to receive the funds for project. Unfortunately, Chavez Ravine was one of the sites chosen for the housing project, so, to prepare for the construction work of the low-income apartments, the Housing Authority of Los Angeles had to convince the people of the ravine to leave, or forcibly oust them from their property. Since Chavez Ravine was to be used for public use, the Housing Authority of Los Angeles was able seize and buy Chavez Ravine from the property owners and evict whoever stayed behind with the help of Eminent Domain. The LA Housing Authority had told the inhabitants that low-income housing was to be built on the land, but, because of a sequence of events, the public housing project was never built there and instead Dodgers Stadium was built on Chavez Ravine. Although Chavez Ravine public housing project was the result of the goodwill and intent of the government, rather than helping the people Chavez Ravine with their promise of low-income housing, the project ended up destroying many of their lives because of those in opposition of the public housing project and government mismanagement.
Los Angeles is a place with a dynamic history. It has grown to be one of the most diverse cities in the world as a whole. Despite the diversity for which it is known for, the city has always had a striving conflict due to racial and class tension. The social stratification of its past continues to take its toll as dividing lines persist in contemporary Los Angeles. Furthermore, these dividing lines redefine place in Los Angeles, whether geographically or personally, to be subject to race and class. Fluidity has become evident recently however it is more common for the identity of people to be fixed in society. Through the novel Southland, by Nina Revoyr, and various means of academic sources, one is further able to explore the subject of race, place, and reinvention in Los Angeles.
In terms of racial inequality in baseball there have been many eras of integration. Baseball originally is seen as America’s national game belonging to the white men of America. However, throughout history there have been steps taken in recognizing and integrating those groups deemed “less favorable” by the American community. These groups include German immigrants, Irish immigrants, African Americans, Latinos, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and Asians. America used the game of baseball as a tool to indoctrinate the American ideals and values of teamwork, working hard, and collaborating for the greater good into the cultures of the “uncivilized world.” These groups used baseball as a medium to gain acceptance into the American community as racially equal counterparts.
Before Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his group of investors took over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Dodgers organization was in one of their darkest times. During the time Frank McCourt and his ex-wife, Jamie, the fans appreciation and attendance was at it lowest point since 2000. The attendance for the Dodgers plummeted 17% from the year before. They also lost 200 million dollars that McCourt used to bankroll his lavish lifestyle. During the whole divorce between Frank and Jami, fans were calling for them to leave and sell the team. Before McCourt finally decided to sell the team, fans were playing to boycott McCourt during the season. On the day the fans found out that McCourt was selling the team, fans were joyous with approval on a number of fronts. One fan and lead sports columnist of the Los Angeles Chaves said “Take a hike, Frank. Don’t let Chavez hit you in the Ravine on the way out” (Moore, 2011). The buzz in Los Angeles after the team was sold changed so much after the team was bought. "Now we're here. And now, everyone is wearing caps again," Johnson said. "The jackets. The T-shirts are out. I work out at Gold's [Gym]. I'm there at 5 or 6 in the morning, and everyone is talking about the Dodgers. We want this to be the happening place again. We want people to come out. Well, you can't do that unless you win, and now everyone's coming" (Bryant, 2013).
"SABR." Society for American Baseball Research. Marc Appleman, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Jiobu, Robert M., “Racial Inequality in a Public Arena: The Case of Professional Baseball”. Social Forces , Vol. 67, No. 2 (Dec., 1988), pp. 524-534 Oxford University Press
Rawls, James J., and Walton Bean. California: An Interpretive History. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968. Print.
Harvey, Todd, and et al. Gentrification and West Oakland: Causes, Effects, and Best Practices 1999. 22 Nov. 2003.
Tygiel, Jules. 2001; 2000. Past time: Baseball as history. Oxford England; New York: Oxford University Press.
Los Angeles is unique in that it captures the essence of a multi-ecological setting bringing the ocean, the skyscraper, and the happiest place on earth under one rooftop. Its deep-rooted culture engulfs the city’s character and overwhelms the spirit of L.A. Los Angeles has encompassed the circle of the Mexican pueblo that began in 1848 and has returned over two hundred fifty years later. Hordes of “land hungry Anglo-Europeans” began to migrate to Los Angeles from various parts of Europe. They viciously took land from the inhabited Mexicans by fraud, force, and imposing ridiculous property taxes. Although Mexican rancheros fought gallantly for their land, they could not afford to pay the property taxes and as a result lost a vast part of their holdings. The Mexican ranchero lifestyle gradually vanished as new settlers took over. As the Anglo-whites became the majority in Los Angeles, they also became the major influence on the development of the city and its capitalist structure.