ICONIC AMERICA: OUR SYMBOLS AND STORIES WITH DAVID RUBENSTEIN: Fenway Park

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published April 25, 2023 at 2:03 PM PDT

Bird’s eye view of Fenway Park at sunrise.

Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream now with KPBS Passport!

Baseball is America's pastime and obsession, and no ballpark is more iconic than Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Learn the story of a city's loyalty to its team and love for its ballpark through thick and thin.

Baseball is a favorite American pastime and obsession, and no ballpark is more iconic than Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. This episode tells the story of a city’s loyalty to its team and love for its ballpark through thick and thin.

About the Series: In this new eight-episode documentary series, David Rubenstein explores America’s 400-year history through a close examination of iconic national symbols: indelible artifacts, places, and archetypes. Each episode tells the story of an American symbol to reveal its origins, significance and the arc of its resonance.

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The last team to integrate MLB, The Boston Red Sox have a "shameful past with respect to race relations," according to Sam Kennedy, President and CEO of The Boston Red Sox. In this clip, we look at the history of racism in a franchise known for turning away legendary athletes of color such as Willie Mays.

Episode subjects include the Hollywood Sign, Fenway Park, American cowboys, Gadsden Flag (“Don’t Tread On Me”), American Bald Eagle, Stone Mountain, Statue of Liberty, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Rubenstein invites historical experts and community members to examine myriad ways the American public engages with these subjects.

The 1967 Boston Red Sox captured the hearts of their fans and became known as the "Impossible Dream" team. After finishing ninth in the American League in 1966, the Red Sox made a remarkable turnaround and won the American League pennant. During this time, there was also a proposal for a multi-use stadium that would have been shared by the Red Sox and the New England Patriots.

Rubenstein’s quest for a deeper understanding of these symbols takes him on a journey to an array of regions and communities, from Boston to San Francisco and New York to Oklahoma City. He conducts interviews with historians and history makers from the worlds of sports, politics, entertainment, and academia, including David “Big Papi” Ortiz (former Red Sox player) and Lake Iolani Stevens (Women’s Ranch Bronc Champion); Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC) and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL); Sylvester Stallone (actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker) and Melissa Rivers (writer, host, and producer); Hasan Kwame Jeffries (associate professor of history at The Ohio State University) and Michael Boulware Moore (former chief executive officer of the International African American Museum).

This clip revisits an error by Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in game 7 of the 1986 World Series that remains one of the most memorable plays in baseball history. The error prevented Boston from going into a tie-breaking 11th inning against The New York Mets, and epitomizes The Curse of the Bambino -- a superstition about the team's decades-long drought of World Series Championships.

After winning winning five of the first 15 World Series, the Red Sox committed the original sin of baseball by trading star pitcher Babe Ruth to the Yankees for cash. They were the greatest team in Major League Baseball, but after they traded Ruth, they wouldn't win another World Series for 86 years.

The Boston Red Sox's World Series win in 2004 was a historic moment for the team and its fans. It marked the end of an 86-year championship drought, known as the "Curse of the Bambino," which began after the Red Sox traded baseball legend Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919. The Red Sox faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series and swept them in four games.

As the number one tourist attraction in Boston, Fenway Park's allure transcends the sport of baseball. In this clip, fans and historians discuss the merits of the park as a destination for visitors from around the world, and a historic monument.

Watch On Your Schedule: Episodes from this series are available to stream with KPBS Passport! Contribute a tax-deductible* gift of $5 per month or an annual gift of $60 or more. Your donation will help KPBS serve your community through media that educates, inspires, and entertains.

Credits: A production of Show of Force, DMR Productions, and WETA Washington, D.C. David M. Rubenstein is the host and executive producer. Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre, Joshua Bennett and Sam Pollard are executive producers for Show of Force. John F. Wilson is executive producer for WETA. Bill Gardner is the executive in charge for PBS. Christopher Ullman is producer for DMR Productions. Jonathan Scheinberg, Prisca Pointdujour, Sam Lacroix, Alexandra Nikolchev, Sally Rosenthal, Matthew Horovitz, Lizzie Mulvey and Ken Levis are producers for Show of Force. Kate Kelly is producer for WETA. Rick Van Meter is supervising producer. Allison Hanna is archival producer. Gary Lionelli is composer of the original score.

ICONIC AMERICA: OUR SYMBOLS AND STORIES WITH DAVID RUBENSTEIN: Fenway Park

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