A Pitch for Building Community with Will Bardenwerper

Episode 104. In this episode, Kate sits down with author Will Bardenwerper to talk about baseball. Now, before you think this doesn’t tie in to some of the major themes we’ve been exploring on the podcast—think again. Will’s new book ‘Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America’ is a love letter to small towns, communities, and coming together to build friendship and camaraderie across generations, political ideologies, and classes in “third places” like small town baseball stadiums. Will lays out what is happening to minor league baseball and the small towns that have housed teams for decades as private equity firms gobble them up, what happens when AI takes over scouting, and when concessions are just a click away on an iPhone. Kate and Will tug at themes around community, efficiency, and loneliness. This story of consolidation and small town triumph will be familiar to listeners who have found similar themes across agriculture, manufacturing, and so much more. 

Find Will: 

Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper

Instagram: @willbardenwerper

X: @wbardenwerper

Website

Resources Mentioned:

Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam

Front Porch Republic 

Related Episodes:

Episode 75: Building an Agriculture We Can Live In with Cole Mannix

Episode 88: Weaving a New Vision for American Manufacturing and Small Town Resilience with Steven Kurutz

Episode 96: The Complexity of Simplicity with Jill Winger

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