Contact Hypothesis: Healing Hatred in the American League East Since 1954

The World Baseball Classic is a new joint venture between Major League Baseball and other professional leagues around the world. Created in order to further promote the game around the globe, the tournament features 16 national teams of mostly professional players. Since the WBC is the first international baseball tournament in which national teams feature professional players from the major leagues around the world including Major League Baseball, it provides an opportunity for professional teammates to play against each other on opposing international teams. It also allows for professional rivals to play and bond on the same international team.
The relationships forged on the United States national baseball team are a great example of the contact hypothesis (Allport 1954). The contact hypothesis states that regular interaction between members of different groups reduces prejudice, providing that it occurs under favorable conditions. On the USA team, players from either side of two heated rivalries bonded. Over the first month of the major league season, a reduction in the negative feelings between certain members of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox is obvious. Likewise, David Wright of the New York Mets put MLB rivalries aside when playing alongside Philadelphia Phillies Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley in the WBC. Although the Mets and Phillies haven’t played each other yet this season, when they do I’m sure David Wright and Jimmy Rollins will be striking up a conversation and sharing a laugh at third base, similar to the interactions witnessed last weekend between Kevin Youkilis and Derek Jeter of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, respectively.
Professional baseball rivals obviously don’t harbor the harshest of prejudices against each other but the contact hypothesis is still applicable, there are genuine negative feelings toward other players based solely on the uniform they wear. Under the favorable conditions of the WBC, regular interaction between former rivals helped to reduce prejudice.