Tension in the Union of Art and Sport: Competition for Ownership of the Baseball Statuary and its Influence upon Design

Sculptures of athletes are both an ancient art-form and a modern phenomenon. The unveiling of over 150 statues of baseball players within the US since 1990 represents the first cohesive integration of public sculpture and a contemporary professional sport, simultaneously boosting a nascent sport sculpture industry. Yet to what extent is this union an appropriation, or a meeting of equals?