Sport and Society

While I now agree with C.L.R. James’s opinion that sport can reflect and impact society, I did not always think this way. James reflects on the role of sport within the Ancient Greek and later 19^th Century British societies. Those cultures, however, bear no significance to me. Instead, it is through more recent events in sports that I dispel this notion of an imaginary line separating politics and society from sport. These more recent events include 9/11, the War in Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. With the attack of 9/11, I think many Americans saw our way of life being threatened. One way of dispelling that notion was through the continuation of baseball, America’s pastime. With the War in Iraq, I think of Pat Tillman and how he gave up playing football with the Arizona Cardinals to serve in Iraq, where he unfortunately died. He is a testament of how war affects everyone, and how the men and women serving in the armed forces make significant sacrifices for others. With Hurricane Katrina, I think of the joy that the New Orleans Saints brought to the city with their run at possibly winning a championship after being a bad team for so long. I know that when my sports team wins I feel good, and I can only hope that seeing the Saints win brought at least some moments of joy to the lives of people who must be miserable after Hurricane Katrina. I question whether any of the connections I just made will be mentioned in history books that reflect on 9/11, the War in Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. I doubt it.

Has Sports Gone Too Far?

In the first paragraph of the extract written by John Dewey, he talks about a “harmony between human activities and surroundings, a harmony which is disturbed only when man indulges in “artificial” departures from nature.” He goes on further to mention how physical activity can lead to man finding happiness, rest, and relief.

I feel that athletes today push themselves more then ever and that maybe the desire to win has gone too far. I’ve seen far too many athletes my age blowout their knees for an activity that started out as a fun hobby. Professional athletes appear to find the stress to perform so burdensome that they turn to steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. I’m beginning to feel that society’s demand for greatness has lead these “artificial departures from nature” and what sport is meant to be. I know when I watch a sports game I want to see spectacular feats never accomplished before.

I only can hope that the act of winning makes the sacrifices and risks an athlete takes worth it. I feel sympathy towards athletes who give it their all and will never physically be the same once they retire. I admire Tiki Barber, who is retiring from the NFL while he still has the ability to play because he doesn’t want his life to end after football. He wants to be physically able to play with his kids and pursue other passions.

I don’t think the way sports are played is going to be changed anytime soon. All I know for sure is that I’ll continue to watch sports and not take for granted the simple things such as a mid-range jumper or the ability to sacrifice a man over to third with less than two outs.

Why I Love Sports

The amazing thing about sports to me is its ability to unite masses of people together for a variety of reasons. I’ve always found it amusing how sports fans use the term ‘we’ when referring to their team like they are part of the organization (I’m just as guilty as anyone). While some like the thrill of competition that sports provides, others may use sports as a way of escaping their daily lives for a few hours. As someone who is interested in the medical profession, I’m fascinated by how athletes are physically able to do what they do. From hitters in baseball being able to distinguish between a 90-mph fastball and a hard breaking splitter in half a second and still be able to hit the ball over 400 feet to basketball players hanging and twisting in midair for a lay-up, sports are a testament to the almost endless ability of the human body. As a result, I am saddened by the alleged use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs by professional athletes that make their accomplishments less realistic. The fact remains, however, that we all have our own reason for being fascinated with sports and those reasons represent a gateway into human thought and feelings. I thus find the philosophy of sport to be a way of understanding human nature.