The View from the Stands: A Season with America's Baseball Fans

By Johanna Wagner

Book Overview

The View from the Stands is both the story of one fan's love of the game and an examination of the effect baseball has had on fans everywhere throughout its history. A collection of stories and insights compiled during the summer of 2002 in each of MLB's thirty parks, The View from the Stands provides us with the fans' perspective on every team and stadium in the league, and on the most important issues currently affecting the game. It gives a voice to the masses of people who fill our stadiums, and it explains how a child's game became the business it is today.

This book examines the entire experience of live baseball, from the uncomfortable seats to the misplaced marketing ventures to the incredible feeling of seeing Bonds circle the bases. Baseball touches our lives in so many unexpected ways. By introducing us to the little boys who rush to the edge of the stands in Wrigley, the recovering alcoholic who found a new family at the Metrodome, and many others from all walks of life, The View from the Stands tells the story of our love of the game--what draws us in and what keeps us coming back for more.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595669506
• ISBN13: 9780595669509
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Ms. Wagner hits a homerun.

The view from the stands is a nice collection of stories recounting one woman's journey through the halls of all the major league baseball stadiums. Ms. Wagner is a die-hard fan, raised in Ohio and nourished on The Big Red Machine. Ms. Wagner tells a good story but the shining points in the book come when she is interacting with the fans on her recent journey - she shows a real insight for what fans connect with when going to their hometown park - and what they don't. The book has an interesting perspective and would be a valuable read for all major league owners. While they need to be concerned with what is going on in the field, Ms. Wagner does the owners a real service by providing some gratis research for what's going on in the minds of the fans. An interesting read.

great new look at the world of baseball

Ms. Wagner does a brilliant job of piecing together her trips to various ballparks around the country, entwining them into a cohesive whole. I am not aware of any other book about baseball that discusses the aspects of various stadiums and team franchises and how they affect the fans. Her opinions are often strong, but she backs them up with solid reasoning, and also offers her own ideas on remedying various problems in the baseball world. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in baseball's fan base and the pleasures and difficulties of being a fan.