美国国家公共电台 NPR Take A Pilgrimage To America's Sport Sanctuaries In 'The Arena'

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The places in which sports fans watch their favorite teams often become as familiar to them as great churches, mosques¹ or synagogues. Who are we kidding? Maybe even more familiar. Rafi Kohan has written a book about some of those houses of hope, glory, hotdogs and infamy² around the country, pro³ and college. His book is "The Arena⁴: Inside The Tailgating, Ticket-Scalping, Mascot-Racing, Dubiously⁵ Funded, and Possibly Hunted Monuments Of American Sports." Rafi Kohan, who's written for The New York Observer, GQ and the Wall Street Journal, joins us from New York. Thanks so much for being with us.

RAFI KOHAN: Thanks for having me.

SIMON: And I'm afraid after that long title, we've run out of time.

KOHAN: (Laughter) It's great to be here.

SIMON: A lot of stadiums these days don't have signature names - do they? - like Lambeau, Wrigley or Yankee Stadium. Are those days just gone?

KOHAN: Well, I think they are if - especially with naming rights deals being worth as much as they are these days. We have Yankee Stadium. And we have Dodger⁶ Stadium. But I believe that Dodgers⁷ are in negotiations⁸ to sell the rights for, at least, for the field. So, yeah, I think you're right. I think, you know, we should hold tight to Fenway and Wrigley. And, you know, pray for the best from our corporate⁹ overlords.

SIMON: I've got to ask you about Wrigley Field, where the Cubs¹⁰ play. You seemed to like the park more than the fans.

KOHAN: (Laughter) Oh, I don't know about that. The fans were delightful¹¹. But I mean, how could you not love the park? I mean, Wrigley is one of the gems¹² - Wrigley and Fenway.

SIMON: But you suggest that those of us who go to Wrigley Field don't necessarily have the game on our minds.

KOHAN: Well, I would say that people have a lot of different motivations for going to Wrigley Field. You know, I spoke¹³ to some folks who all they wanted to do was go to Wrigley and drink beer. And other guys who I spoke to went there, and all they wanted to do was score the game. And some other folks I spoke to - all they wanted to do was go to Wrigley and pee in the troughs. So, I mean, we all have our motivations.

SIMON: We should explain the men's room have a unique system of relief. Let's put it that way (laughter).

KOHAN: Well said.

SIMON: A couple of generations after they started, do taxpayer-funded stadiums make any sense?

KOHAN: From an economic perspective, they certainly don't seem to. All the evidence suggests that stadiums are not good economic drivers. But that being said, that doesn't mean that there is not value in a stadium. There are things like quality of life, things like civic¹⁴ pride. But ultimately, a lot of the economists¹⁵ I spoke to landed on the fact that what you need to do is have honest conversations among taxpayers¹⁶ and voters in terms of what you want to spend and why. Don't tell taxpayers that the stadium is going to make them rich because it's not going to. But it may enrich your life if you're a fan. And so take that into account and think about it the same way you would a golf course or an arts district. Is this something that you want to pay for? It's not an investment, but it's consumption.

SIMON: You are awfully¹⁷ impressed by the art and craft of grounds crews.

KOHAN: Oh, I was.

SIMON: A clever grounds crew can mean a difference in close games, can't it?

KOHAN: Oh, definitely. Well a grounds crew can tailor the field in very small ways that might impact the outcome of the game. You know, gone are the days of legendary¹⁸ Kansas City groundskeeper George Toma and his ilk - the (unintelligible). They really would tailor the fields in unbelievable ways. They would tilt¹⁹ the foul²⁰ lines in a certain way so that bunts wouldn't roll foul. They were harden the turf to make it more difficult for players to slide if they didn't want the opposing team to slide.

Nowadays, uniformity is really something that is mandated²¹ by Major League Baseball. But there are still small ways. I visited with Trevor Vance, who's the head groundskeeper for the Kansas City Royals. And this was during 2015 - the year they would ultimately win the World Series. And he talked about how he made the infield play very fast - you know, shorter grass - because they had young, athletic²² infielders. And they felt that that was an advantage for them because they knew that their guys could get to the ball. And the other team probably couldn't.

SIMON: There's so much joy in your book. But I have to ask, are there bad memories, if not ghosts, at the New Orleans Superdome?

KOHAN: Well, I think there are bad memories, and there are ghosts. And it's such an interesting place to visit. There are people who go back to that Superdome now not because they want to, but because they have to, to try and make a living. One guy I met, Raymond Smith, he has no choice but to strap²³ a beer tray around his neck and go up and down the aisles²⁴, you know, shouting for beer during games. And he had to live through Katrina inside the Superdome. And it is not a happy memory for him in any way. It's something he suffers with. But for the rest of the community, it is also a symbol of redemption in some ways or if not redemption, reclamation²⁵.

SIMON: I promise not to take this personally. World Series - two parks you'd have to go back and forth²⁶ between. What would you choose?

KOHAN: Well, as a Yankee fan, I suppose I should say Yankee Stadium. But if the ballpark is the sole measure of where I want to be, then, unfortunately, it has to be Fenway. And, you know...

SIMON: It takes a lot for Yankee fan to say that, right? I appreciate that.

KOHAN: It does. But you know what? Fenway really is a magical place. And they've done a tremendous job with their renovations. And as perfect as the symmetry might be of going back and forth between Wrigley and Fenway, I'm going to say PNC Park.

SIMON: In Pittsburgh?

KOHAN: In Pittsburg, where the Pirates play. It's just a beautiful little park. And they have a raised wall, which I think is sort of a tribute to Fenway. I haven't fact checked myself on that. But at least there would be some symmetry in that way.

SIMON: Rafi Kohan, his book "The Arena." Thanks so much for being with us.

KOHAN: Thanks for having me.

1 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

2 infamy   

n.声名狼藉，出丑，恶行

参考例句：

• They may grant you power,honour,and riches but afflict you with servitude,infamy,and poverty.他们可以给你权力、荣誉和财富，但却用奴役、耻辱和贫穷来折磨你。
• Traitors are held in infamy.叛徒为人所不齿。

3 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

4 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

5 dubiously   

adv.可疑地，怀疑地

参考例句：

• "What does he have to do?" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去，撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句

6 dodger   

n.躲避者；躲闪者；广告单

参考例句：

• They are tax dodgers who hide their interest earnings.他们是隐瞒利息收入的逃税者。
• Make sure she pays her share she's a bit of a dodger.她自己的一份一定要她付清--她可是有点能赖就赖。

7 dodgers   

n.躲闪者，欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a crackdown on fare dodgers on trains 对火车逃票者的严厉打击
• But Twain, Howells, and James were jeeringly described by Mencken as "draft-dodgers". 不过吐温、豪威尔斯和詹姆斯都是被门肯讥诮地叫做“逃避兵役的人。” 来自辞典例句

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

10 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

12 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

15 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

17 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

18 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

19 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

20 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

21 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

22 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

23 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

24 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

25 reclamation   

n.开垦；改造；（废料等的）回收

参考例句：

• We should encourage reclamation and recycling.我们应当鼓励废物的回收和利用。
• The area is needed for a land reclamation project.一个土地开垦项目要在这一地区进行。

26 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。