More than a decade ago, a baseball strike canceled the season and the World Series. The first time ever, we were told in hushed tones. A national trauma. Baseball had survived world wars, cold wars, hot dogs — even night games, the designated hitter, and Astroturf — only to succumb to a labor dispute between spoiled millionaire players and even-more-spoiled billionaire owners. How could it be summer without baseball, the pundits pouted? Most portentous, how could we be us without our spectator fix?
But wait. Here is heresy indeed: Was it really such a disaster? Or is it a disaster that our current paragons have been revealed to be hormonally enhanced and ethically challenged? Or if a college team is denied a bowl slot? Is life so pale, dull, and unsatisfying that it must be experienced vicariously in order to be savored? You might try reading a book, talking with your family, going for a walk, wrestling with the dog, listening to some music, smelling a flower, making love.
8 months ago
royalsreview
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This is one of the most ignorant and condescending articles I've ever read
How dare he tell me that what I love and what is important to me is something I shouldn’t spend time on. Why is it so stupid for people to watch sporting events (either in person on on television)? I wonder if he thinks it is just as stupid for people to go see the symphony, ballet or the opera. Are they more objectively worthy of one’s time, money and attention? Of course not. Basically it appears that what he’s saying is that he doesn’t find value in spectator sports or sports fandom, and so neither should we. Thanks for letting me know, David.
This guy gives effete, elitist liberals a bad name.
The immoderate moderator
by NYRoyal on Mar 21, 2009 7:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i think there are different types of sports fandom
you don’t really enjoy a movie or an opera or whatever because you want YOUR GUY to win… its more of a broad intellectual experience
now, in point of fact, that is how A LOT OF US also enjoy sports… the whole scope of the game
I think what he was basically addressing was the sports-as-identification syndrome
We’re #1!
by royalsreview on Mar 21, 2009 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think what he was basically addressing was the sports-as-identification syndrome
And is there any sound, logical argument to be made that this is a bad thing?
But he goes much farther than that. He talks about how he can understand the players’ friends and families wanting to watch them play, but why would anyone else? He has a problem with people wanting to watch others player a sport, period. Apparently we should be reading a book or taking a walk instead. That’s like telling a person who is eating chicken that he shouldn’t be doing that; he should be eating beef instead. Why? Because I think beef is better. He spent many hundreds of words on that?
The immoderate moderator
by NYRoyal on Mar 21, 2009 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
well again
I think there are different shades here.
Its at least worth thinking about what is going on with the national obsession with sports, where its coming from.
by royalsreview on Mar 21, 2009 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Certainly
There has been quite a lot of writing that in the 20th century spectator sports have taken over many of the social functions that have historically been fulfilled by organized religion. Certainly there is an entertainment aspect here, along with a social one and for many people a desire to belong to something larger than one’s self.
But my problem with this article isn’t that he’s breaking down where the USA’s (and the western world’s) love for spectator sports comes from. My problem is that he’s being very judgmental and deciding that it is either dysfunctional or that it is at least not worthy of our time and attention.
The immoderate moderator
by NYRoyal on Mar 21, 2009 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
'bout two years ago I tried to interview a religious studies prof who wrote a book about this kind of thing
this was when Poz’s The Soul of Baseball or whatever came out, and coincidenatllt, this guy had also used a lot of material from Buck O, who apparently would talk to anyone and tell random stories and wax poetic about stuff
it would have been a great side piece, but alas, dude gave me the kaegel treatment
actually, that isn’t true, he did email me back
by royalsreview on Mar 21, 2009 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
what's the kaegel story
was it recently? Do we need to step up the mockery level?
Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary to Driveline Mechanics and elsewhere since sometime in 2008.
by devil_fingers on Mar 21, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he's ignored Will's e-mails, questions, etc. for a while now.
The immoderate moderator
by NYRoyal on Mar 21, 2009 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i've probably made too big a deal about it
but awhlie back, like probably two years, I sent him a very nice, very polite email, asking to interview him. Specifically, I wanted to ask him about working for mlb.com/kcroyals.com and how that was different (or not) from his previous work, his thoughts on it, etc. Also, his favorite kinds of stories to write, etc. It was a great opportunity for him to talk about himself.
He never responded, which honestly, could not have even been his fault. But that’s the story.
by royalsreview on Mar 21, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
"the kaegel treatment"
is just a euphemism for being dicked over
by marbotty on Mar 22, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
these comments are doing weird things
by royalsreview on Mar 21, 2009 7:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I deleted a comment of my own so I could edit.
and replaced it with the comment above.
The immoderate moderator
by NYRoyal on Mar 21, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
all that matters is that we not forget to be at our fantasy baseball draft later tonight
by royalsreview on Mar 21, 2009 8:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm not sure that's healthy
We should be reading a book, taking a walk or thinking great thoughts.
The immoderate moderator
by NYRoyal on Mar 21, 2009 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Remember articles like this next time when "dumb" Middle Americans complain about elistism
I could hardly read it. At least he didn’t bring up fascism or something stupid.
So be fair, he is a social scentist by trade. The Special Olympics has its own set of records, youk now.
Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary to Driveline Mechanics and elsewhere since sometime in 2008.
by devil_fingers on Mar 21, 2009 8:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Did Anyone Read
That whole thing? What a waste of time that would be.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Mar 21, 2009 8:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It was painful
The immoderate moderator
by NYRoyal on Mar 21, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BTW, Why No
Game thread today? It was a fun football score kind of game.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Mar 21, 2009 8:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Point of Sports
I agree with NYRoyal this is nothing but a caricature of a super elitist. For a man who is so enlightened he really missed a substantial element of spectator sports, entertainment. What is the difference between reading a book and watching a baseball game? A good book involves plots and twists which take the reader on an emotional rollercoaster. A good baseball game does the same thing only uses pitch counts and baserunning situations to progress through the story. A good book can start a book reading and discussion group, a good baseball season can lead to heated discussion and analysis from the spectators. In the end its all just drama. We love a good story, why didn’t bother to trace the history of story telling is beyond me.
I did attempt to read the whole thing, and he is basically cherry picking his arguments and diverting from subjects that he should have analyzed more closely. He is elitist because he saying that his brand of drama (books etc) is better than baseball’s drama. He is basically telling us what variations within a category are acceptable to like and which ones are low-brow.
Mr. Weatherstone
by Mr. Weatherstone on Mar 21, 2009 8:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He is the type of scholar
and this is the type of scholarship that has led me to quitting grad school after I get my M.A. I see this kind of trash all the time, and I will not devote my life to it anymore.
Kansas City Royals: your 2006 and 2007 NL Central champions!
by mazoboom on Mar 21, 2009 9:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
fortunately you don't see this kind of attitude in the sciences
I have colleagues in the social sciences and humanities (and arts) who would endorse this point of view. To be fair, I have other colleagues in the same areas who love sports as much as anyone.
"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell
by buddyball on Mar 21, 2009 10:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I feel this to be a piece of trickery
He’s trying to get us to abandon our battle against the Mariners and all people associated with them. Shame on him. University of Washington, filthy underhanded scum, I hope he finds a scoreboard in his yard tomorrow morning.
If he was going for that it was a clever ruse, otherwise it was complete garbage.
You might try reading a book, talking with your family, going for a walk, wrestling with the dog, listening to some music, smelling a flower, making love
Reading a book about sports could be worthwhile.
Talking with your family about sports:Does anyone have to explain how much bonding goes on between families because of sports? This is outrageous.
Going for a walk: An act of exercise, which probably would be more sport than he has attempted
Wrestling with your dog: I tried this, my pug is now crushed to death.
Listening to music: Ballparks play music…sort of
Smelling a flower:
Okay……gaaay.
Making Love:He should have called it whoopie, then I would have found the piece credible. Can I compromise and make love while watching sports?
We are destroying mankind slowly with our statistics and generic cheering in unison. That would never happen without sports. Without sports, there would be no war and no suffering.
I agree that at times we get out of hand with our allegiances to certain teams, but to overwhelmingly attack humanity for choosing sports as their fun as opposed to other activities. That is completely out of line, and I know when something is. I’ve done all of those things above*, and I would say that with the exception of the last, I would rather attend a sporting event. Mainly because nachos smell better than flowers.
Except making love, my mom keeps coming into the basement and interrupting me. By interrupt, I mean my blogging. No woman is coming here, after I built my fort of foam fingers and started to play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on loop.
(Sorry this is too long, but I’m kind of angry now.)
"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue."
by lobes on Mar 22, 2009 3:37 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
The REAL science says that
the reason people like sports is because it stimulates the same part of the brain that is stimulated in the athletes while performing. We are living vicariously through it. So just sitting on the couch, drinking beer, and eating pizza while watching a game is the same to my brain as actually playing in it. That would explain the extra weight I carry and why people prefer TV over exercise. We’ll never abandon sports unless the greed becomes unbearable.
by AxDxMx on Mar 22, 2009 12:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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