Post-Colonialisms: Middle Eastern League Baseball (MELB)

PRESS RELEASE

10 August 2010

From the Office of the Commissioner, Sheik T.E. Aurence

Today we are pleased to announce the realization of a dream decades in the making. After years of waxing and waning American influence throughout the Arab world, Middle Eastern League Baseball (MELB) aims to be the most exciting and entertaining venture and enterprise for a public hungry for sport. With eleven teams across three continents, we hope to unite both Sunni and Shiite fans from Marrakech to Tehran. After the successful importation of democracy, the importation of sport is bound to bring prosperity to the region and fans.

Teams will be broken up into two divisions: The Westernized Division and the Orientalist Division based on geographical location, fan base, and market size.

Teams in the Westernized Division will include the:

Damascus Dodgers

Green Zone Big Green of Baghdad

Istanbulls

Marrakech Mariners

Tel-Aviv A’s

West Bank Chargers

Teams in the Orientalist Division will include the:

Baghdad Bombers

Dubai Mets

Kuwait Oilers

Riyadh Royals

Tehran Isotopes

With an eye towards further expansion in the near future, these teams will provide a steady base for a viable business venture and fun for fans around the globe. We look forward to having you join us in this exciting time for the Middle East and for sport.

Salam Aleikum,

Sheik T.E. Aurence, Commissioner

(Excerpt written in collaboration with Matt Salazar)

Conceived during a sophomore level course entitled “Understanding Islam”, Middle Eastern League Baseball first began with the notion that if an American-styled sports team were to be located in Dubai it would surely have to pay tribute to the massive construction boom that has simultaneously defined and bankrupted that Emirate. Inspired, they then pondered what teams might exist in a Middle Eastern sports league. What sports would they play? Who would be their mascots? They found that puting typical Americanized sports teams in the Middle East would result in team names that are unbelievably racist. It’s only natural to think that the American thirst for high performance sports move abroad. After all, the NBA already has a plan for world domination. Why let them have all the fun? This collection of logos points to the commercialization and percieved trivialization of the growth of the American Empire and spread of American culture abroad.

(This is part of a continuing series of team logos that I will be updating periodically. Check back for more!)

Love,

Michael

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at 2:50 am and is filed under Doodles 'n Sketches, Latest, Logos, MikeArt, MikeBlog and tagged with Baghdad Bombers, Classtime Ponderings, Commentary, Commercialization, Culture, Damascus Dodgers, Dubai Mets, Empire, Green Zone Big Green of Baghdad, Istanbulls, Josh Lee, Kuwait Oilers, Marrakech Mariners, Mascots, Matt Salazar, MELB, Middle East Sports, Middle Eastern League Baseball, Orientalist Division, Riyadh Royals, Sheik T.E. Aurence, Tehran Isotopes, Tel-Aviv A's, West Bank Chargers, Westernized Division, Wouldn't it be cool if....?, Zach Waud. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.