Pirates Living and Dead

Back-blip:

At the foot of Roberto Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh stands the memorial statue of the great player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente, born in Puerto Rico, died in 1972 when he was flying to Nicaragua to deliver relief to earthquake victims there. Since his death, the star's legacy (always with his number, 21) has been well-exploited by Major League Baseball (the corporation that has a legal monopoly on the professional leagues of the game) to sell fan apparel, such as hats, shirts, and other printed things.

The problem is that most of the fan apparel is made in sweatshops in countries such as Guatemala, Haiti, China, and Bangladesh --with American cotton. The players themselves wear clothing made in the US by union workers (about one millionth of the whole), and that is well-mentioned by MLB when the subject is raised. But so many of the essential parties are vested in profits from this huge industry, and the real process is so corrupt and secretive, that the subject of sweatshop labor in sports is heard (thus far at least) only very faintly.

I spent the day with a campaign in Pittsbugh called "No Sweatshops, Bucco!" Buc is short for bucaneer, i.e. Pirate. It was a fascinating weekend and I learned plenty about "yinzers" in their very beautiful city. A Yinzer, or Pittsburgher, says "yinz" when a New Yorker would say "youz" and Southerners would say "y'all" or "you'uns" (meaning you, plural). I learned that only this week, though I've visited Pitt several times, always having a great time.

There are so many bridges and riverfronts and uniquely Pittsburgh scenes that one can't help but love the place. There's also the Pittsburgh Steak sandwich, which has sourdough bread, sliced steak, mayonnaise, and French fries that go right inside the sandwich. When I heard of it I was expecting an immitation of the Philadelphia Cheese Steak, but it's completely different, and wonderful.

If you visit Pittsburgh, remember Roberto Clemente's spirit and humanity when you pass the stadium.