In this document, Abigail Ramirez analyzes August Wilson's use of sports as a theme in his plays Fences and Radio Golf. In Fences, the character Troy uses baseball as a symbol of security and references Jackie Robinson, while in Radio Golf, Roosevelt views golf as a symbol of wealth and status, reminiscent of Tiger Woods. Both characters reflect on the history of the sports in a way that reveals aspects of their own lives and beliefs. Ramirez argues that Wilson intentionally incorporated real-life sports figures and events into the plays to reinforce the characters' perspectives on the games.

1. Abigail Ramirez
English 396a
Professor Scruggs
Research Paper
April 29, 2013
Sports and August Wilson
August Wilson, author of The Piano Lesson and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is most
known for his Decade plays. He wrote one play for every decade up until the 21st century. Most
of his plays were surrounded around race and the African American culture. There are many
reoccurring themes in his works, such as the past haunting the present, but one that seems to go
unnoticed is his use sports to relate to life. Plays such as Fences, set in the 1950s and Radio Golf,
whose storyline takes place in the 1990s, have at least one character that uses sports to represent
life. In Fences, Troy references baseball and in Radio Golf, Roosevelt discusses golf amongst the
other characters. However, each character uses the sport in very different ways. In Fences, Troy
uses baseball for security and as metaphors to live his life by; It is a way of life. Meanwhile, in
Radio Golf, golf is used to show the ‘value of life’ amongst the wealthy. While they are used
differently, the history of the particular sport is similar what the characters reveal about the game
in their own lives. During each of the plays, a certain player’s career began. In the 1950s, Jackie
Robinson had become the first black player to play professional baseball and in the 1990s, Tiger
Woods became the first winner of the Masters Tournament to be of African American or Asian
descent. The theme of sports is used in August Wilson’s plays because it describes a particular
character’s view of life but specific players such as Jackie Robinson and Tiger Woods that

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become symbols of that view and allow the history of baseball and golf to coincide with that
character’s beliefs of the sport.
In Fences, Troy uses baseball to describe events in his life, which he uses as a form of
security that he spends his time creating. For example, in Act I of the play, Troy states, “…they
put me in the penitentiary and locked me up for fifteen years” and “That’s where I learned how
to play baseball.” (Wilson 55) Since Troy spent a significant amount of time behind bars, he
became used to having a boundary or fence around him, which explains why he feels secure
within one. He even begins building a physical fence. It seems that the walls of the penitentiary
protected his dreams because he could play baseball in there. Within the boundary, he learned to
play the game that he fell in love with but “[He] just wasn’t the right color.” (Wilson 39) The
boundary line also explains why he is building a fence around his house with the help of his son
Cory. However, once he was released from prison, those fantasies were shattered because it was
too late for him to play for the major leagues due to age and race.
Not only does the baseball show Troy’s need for security, but it also reveals that the sport
can be seen as an “every man” game. Since Troy was imprisoned, the fact that he learned
baseball shows that even criminals can learn the game. Until Jackie Robinson came around, not
all players were professionally recognized but the sport was still common and accessible to all.
Everyone, regardless of race or gender, knew what the sport was and how it was played. Baseball
is all Troy knows and he even describes his affair as standing “…on first base for eighteen years
and…go on for it!” (Wilson 70) Troy, an average man, centers his life on the game and his

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personal view of life is reflected through the sport because he is comfortable with it and it is all
he knows.
Jackie Robinson represents the idea that baseball is a not just a sport but a ‘way of life’
because Robinson established the security of the black’s future in baseball, which is similar to
the security Troy needs in his life. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the
Major League Baseball. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and made his first appearance in 1947.
He is not only one of the best athletes to play but he could, “…win games with his mind as well
as his bat and glove.” (Vecsey 119) Robinson was recruited by Branch Rickey because “What
appealed to Rickey most about Robinson was his maturity.” (Marshall 126) In his famous lines,
Rickey told Robinson, “…I’m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back”
(Marshall 127) and Jackie was just the guy. Along with helping his team win the pennant,
Robinson won other awards including ‘Rookie of the Year.’
Despite his achievements, Troy believes, “Jackie Robinson wasn’t nobody.” (Wilson 10)
He said, “I done seen a hundred niggers play better than Jackie Robinson. I know some teams
Robinson couldn’t even make!” (Wilson 10) Many of these words seemed to be spoken out of
jealousy but Troy should not view Robinson as competition. Troy fails to realize that Robinson
created a path for other black ballplayers such as Mays, Aaron and Clemente to play the game.
Jackie secured the spot that other blacks would get to play the sport. Without Robinson, the game
would not have been as racially diverse as it is today. Troy uses baseball as his backbone and
Robinson represents the backbone or foundation of blacks playing professionally.

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While Jackie Robinson is a prime example of Troy’s use of baseball, the history of the
sport coincides with Troy’s presentation that anyone can play the game. The sport itself has been
seen throughout the course of time. From rounders and cricket in England, to the slaves hitting a
ball with some sort of object, the idea of baseball has been used by many groups of people. It
was a game that everyone played. As Fink states, “These games of ball took on many different
forms, with no common rules.” (Fink 3) This is similar to how Troy learned to play the game. He
learned while he was in jail so this shows that the sport was not for one particular group of
people; The blacks just could not play with the whites. There was even a Negro League that was
held by the black to be professional. Through Troy’s personal experience, he reveals that any
man, including a criminal, can learn and play baseball and the development of the sport
throughout history supports his claim.
On the contrary to Fences, golf is used in Radio Golf by Roosevelt as a type of nostalgia
that gives him an emotional connection to the sport. For example, Roosevelt describes golf as a
feeling of freedom. He states, “I felt like I had my dick in my hand and was waving it around like
a club.” (Wilson 13) He associates golf with a feeling that he spends his life chasing; It is like a
drug. That first time he hit a golf ball is something that he cannot forget so he tries to find that
same “high” but it never comes back. Since he will never feel that way again, he goes through
his kids and attempts to help them experience that same feeling. Roosevelt passes much of his
time chasing this feeling and it gives him an excuse to lounge around, which is one stereotype
about golf.

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While Roosevelt gives a long speech on his emotional connection to golf, he also relates
the sport with money and wealth that is associated with upper class. For instance, he tells
Harmond that he has been invited to play golf with Bernie Smith and “Bernie Smith don’t play
golf with just anybody. He play with millionaires.” (Wilson 28) Roosevelt wants to be part of the
higher class, which is why he learned to play the game. He thinks golf will “…give them a
chance at life…and that’ll set you on a path to life.” (Wilson 13) This quote insinuates that
money and knowing people will allow you to live a good life. Roosevelt wants his kids to move
up the social scale and golf is the way to do it. Money and golf opens the opportunity to live a
life of luxury, which will in turn make you happy. However, he fails to realize that this is not true
happiness and it does not last forever.
As Robinson was important in Fences, Tiger Woods becomes the main figure of how
golf is used in Radio Golf. Tiger reaffirms Roosevelt’s notions on the sport being associated with
riches. Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods was born a golfer. “Wood’s father also golfed and was
instrumental in developing the budding golfer’s talent.” (Whitaker 268) The relationship golf
created between Tiger and his father, a retired lieutenant colonel, is the same type of bond that
Roosevelt wants to have with his children. At only six months old, Tiger began imitating his
father’s swing. As an adolescent, he competed in many matches but his career launched once he
attended Stanford University, a well-known and prestigious college. While Tiger Wood’s looks
African American, he is not. His ethnicity includes black, white, American Indian and Asian but
he is perceived as black throughout society.

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The trait that distinguishes Tiger Wood from Jackie Robinson is the lifestyle that Tiger
lived. Since Tiger’s father was in the U.S Army, Tiger would be a “military brat.” These types of
people are considered as spoiled by many. It is also safe to say that the family had money since
Tiger went to college at Stanford University. The university, located in Palo Alto, CA, is seen as
one of the top-ranked colleges in the nation and it is known for its scholastics and sports as well.
The players for Stanford sports teams are recruited and some of the best. Therefore, Tiger’s life
suits the sport of golf and shows that it is one for the wealthy.
Roosevelt presents the sport as one of riches but the game of golf, throughout its history,
has always been viewed in that context. As Owen says, “Golf in America…remains conceptually
inseparable from the country club.” (Owen 182) The sport began in Scotland and Great Britain
and the golf courses were easy to maintain because the land was perfect for the sport, which is
why it costs more to run a golf course in the United States. However, once golf reached the
United States, the game of “ordinary people” in Scotland became one of high class. The terrain is
different in the states so the course required actual real estate and the “… high costs helped make
American golf a game mainly of economically privileged, and it quickly divided itself…” (Owen
183)
Before any black golfers emerged, they were caddies. The black role in golf insinuates
that blacks were considered as lower class, underneath the white people. This did not help the
division that was already in place once the game made its way to the United States. However,
during the 1970s, the appearance of blacks in the game of golf had disappeared. This was
because of the invention of carts. Golfers viewed their caddies as “unappealing necessity”

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anyways so carts became a quick way for the courses to gain money. The problem with golf in
the United States is that it “…has only made room for more than a privileged few” (Owen 187)
and because of this, “…most of the black professional players had come from caddie ranks.”
(Owen 185) The rise in rank from the bottom to the top through rich white people is the same
characteristic that Roosevelt is trying to teach his children and is doing himself. The history
behind golf and black players in golf has the same characteristics that Roosevelt uses in Radio
Golf.
The use of sports as a theme in August Wilson’s plays is one that he uses to describe his
characters. Wilson was well aware of the actual events in real life and he ties that in with his
settings of the plays. In Fences, baseball for Troy is used to show his need for security and that
the sport was an “every man” game. Fences is set in the 1950’s, around the time when Jackie
Robinson became the first African American to play professional baseball ‘so he represents the
need for security that Troy desires. However, in Radio Golf, golf is represented as type of
nostalgia and a sport of the wealthy for the character of Roosevelt. The play is set in the 1990’s,
when Tiger Woods became the first African American to win the Masters. Essentially, Tiger
represents how Roosevelt presents baseball. The history of both sports provides enough evidence
that Troy and Roosevelt have an accurate account of baseball and golf. It is through these two
sports that the characters and history are revealed.

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Works Cited
Fink, Rob. Playing in the Shadows: Texas and Negro League Baseball. Lubbock, TX: Texas
Tech UP, 2010. Print.
Marshall, William. Baseball's Pivotal Era, 1945-1951. Lexington, Kentucky: UP of Kentucky,
1999. Print.
Owen, David. The Chosen One: Tiger Woods and the Dilemma of Greatness. New York: Simon
& Schuster, 2001. Print.
Vecsey, George. Baseball: A History of America's Favorite Game. New York: Modern Library,
2006. Print.
Whitaker, Matthew C., ed. African American Icons of Sport: Triumph, Courage, and Excellence.
Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2008. Print.
Wilson, August. Fences. New York: Plume, 1986. Print.
Wilson, August. Radio Golf. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2007. Print.