Episode 15 - Rethinking Fandom with Craig Calcaterra

I had a great conversation with Craig Calcaterra, a long-time baseball writer who recently published the book, “Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game”. With Cub fans left out of the post-season again, watching Kyle Schwarber hit bombs in Philly and waiting to see whether the next Cubs team could be the next great Cubs team, it’s a good time to step back and take a look at what it means to be fan.

We’ve had our frustrations as Cub fans watching favorite players leave as management cut spending and ownership has not always seemed to do everything possible to compete.

Craig and I discuss how he came to write the book, how fandom is impacted by the business side of baseball and the accessibility of baseball to young fans today.

We also talk about what fans can do when ownership isn’t competing or we don’t like the direction of the team or some of the players’ off-field activities.

You can find Craig on Twitter @CraigCalcaterra and check out his “Cup of Coffee” newsletter and more of his writing at  CraigCalcaterra.com.