When I was younger, I got sucked into the sports fan vortex for a while. But these days — like so many areas of our collective culture — sports fandom has become even more obsessive, compulsive, and irrational.
For example, there was so much snow in Buffalo that a recent football game was postponed one day. Even so, those who paid major bucks to attend had to shovel their own way to their seats and hope they could even see the field.
Sports fans (30 seconds):
Also, if I listen to a sports-related podcast, it’s unsettling how much of the content centers around legalized gambling. Many of the paid sponsors of such shows are companies that provide gaming services thus, the podcast hosts must regularly read long disclaimers for listeners who might have a “gambling problem.”
Go, team!!!!
Here’s a little something Noam Chomsky said about sports more than 30 years ago (less than 2 minutes):
“It’s a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority and group cohesion behind leadership elements.”
Bread + circuses = compliant citizens + consumers
Reminder: The spectator sports industry and its manipulation end the moment we stop supporting it with our time, money, and energy.
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When I figured out the political economy of commercial sports—which sadly includes the Olympics— that ruined it for me as a fan. I still respect the skill and dedication. I've worked on both myself. But the political economy is cynical to the point of toxicity.
In the old days, sports were one of the few things (most) men are allowed to really put their hearts into, at least when I was a kid. Science fiction was something the nerdier types loved just as much but they were condemned for it, because it wasn't sufficiently manly. It gives them something to bond over.