Professional Sports

[23]

A fantasy created by enthusiasts in order to entertain the masses?

Or a captive pastime that relies on a human being's natural desire for competition created by the wealthy to drain the middle/lower classes of their capital? (TV Broadcasts, exorbitant ticket prices, merchandise, etc)

Personally I would much rather play football, soccer, or basketball than watch it for 3 hours, whether it be through the TV or live.

I just couldn't give a shit whether or not Joba Chamberlain pitches a perfect game. It doesn't affect my life in any way, shape, or form.

[dal7timgar]

But the REAL MEN give you a hard time if you are bored out of your skull by watching that shit. LOL

I think a lot of the so called competition is psychologically conditioned too. Like competing at getting A's in subjects you don't give a damn about. Do you ever wonder if high school English teachers got straight A's in math when they were in high school?

Sports, school and TV program us for The Matrix.

DT

[willancs]

Originally Posted by 23

A fantasy created by enthusiasts in order to entertain the masses?

Or a captive pastime that relies on a human being's natural desire for competition created by the wealthy to drain the middle/lower classes of their capital?

Neither. A bit of fun which grew to a ridiculous level because of people's desire to be part of a crowd (support) and to see people do things which they themselves can't.

Personally, I have very little interest. I have been to a couple of football matches (soccer for those of you of a yank persuasion) and they bored me rigid. I was also unimpressed by the stupid herd mentality, and the absurd pleasure in the collective hatred of an entire crowd of other people for no better reason than that they wanted a different team to win.

On the other hand, I am perfectly willing to watch professional rugby. The difference, to me, is that the other fans at a rugby game are there to watch the game - they want to see rugby played well, and even if they lose they can take some pleasure away from it.

I suppose its just the difference between a boring sport and an exciting one - football is so insipid that people have to make their own entertainment.

[ignis invictus veritatis]

^ Agreed. Rugby is the shit.

There's something wrong with people who can't enjoy a good rugby match.

[Mantikore]

well, competitive sports have been around for a long time. i think the there is an innate sense of competition in everyone and watching the skills of the best athletes, though over time, the purpose of organised sport has evolved to become more pointless with society's change in values. generally, people these days value intelligence and brainpower rather than physical ability, which explains the emphasis on education, though the lingering caveman in all of us still manifests itself in in sport.

and i do thing the commercial aspect just tagged along after they realised how profitable it could be