The document describes a tour guide explaining a baseball game to visiting aliens from their blimp. The aliens observe a game and ask questions to understand the basic concepts: what is a game, why only male players, why people enjoy watching, what is a team, and why spectators can't join in. Answering fully reveals the human assumptions and values around community, competition, and winning/losing embedded in team sports. Thinking like a tour guide for aliens provides an outsider perspective that questions the logic and truth of human activities and values.

1. Tyesha Bohanna
11/19/14
FYS 100
Tour Guide for an Alien
Pretend that you have been assigned the task of conducting a tour for
aliens who are visiting earth and observing human life. You're riding along
in a blimp, and you float over a professional baseball stadium. One of your
aliens looks down and becomes very confused, so you tell him that there is
a game going on.
Answer the following questions for him.
1. What is a game? A game is when two teams play a sport against each
other.
2. Why are there no female players? There are no female players because
baseball is basically known as a guy sport, and softball is known as a
woman sport.
3. Why do people get so passionate watching other people play games?
People get passionate watching other people play because they either
have a family member or friend that plays on that team, or one of those
teams are their favorite so, they are going to feel some type of way
whenever that team plays.
4. What is a team? A team is a group of people that work together in
playing that sport, and they try to win.
5. Why can't the people in the seats just go down on the field and join in?
People in the seats can’t just go down on the field in join in because for
one they are not on any of the teams that’s playing, and people from the
stands more than likely don’t know how to play the game so that’s going
to mess a win for one of the teams.
If you try to answer these questions fully, it will quickly become apparent
that we carry around certain assumptions and values. We support a certain

2. team, for instance, because it makes us feel like we're a part of a
community. This sense of community is a value that matters to some
people more than others.
Furthermore, when trying to explain team sports to an alien, you have to
explain the value we put on winning and losing.
When you think like an alien tour guide, you are forced to take a deeper
look at the things we do and things we value. They don't always sound so
logical and true from the outside looking in!