It’s no secret that sports are a staple in American culture. Walking anywhere on campus, you will always see television sets tuned into ESPN and Fox Sports Arizona, among other channels.
Sports are a huge part of our daily lives; in fact, it is hard to imagine an extended period of time without them.
Don’t get me wrong: There is nothing bad about representing your favorite team and cheering them on to victory (or defeat). It is actually very fun.
But what possesses people to paint their entire bodies the colors of their favorite football team, as if symbolic of war paint?
What makes even the most composed and serene of individuals go crazy when their favorite basketball player shoots a three-point shot? Why do old-timers yearn for the nostalgia of a good ‘ole afternoon at the ballpark?
The answer is complicated.
Some would say it is the wanting of the masses. They will most likely never play sports on a professional level, so they live vicariously through the superstar athletes to claim their own moment of greatness.
“Youngsters seem especially prone to that delusion, desperate as they are for heroes, and craving the opportunity to bask in another's glory,” David Barash wrote for The Chronicle for Higher Education.
To put it bluntly, we need to calm down and look at the big picture: Are we really obsessed with the players themselves, or their amazing, nearly impossible and physically astounding agile abilities?
My guess is that the latter outshines all reason, and causes us to become completely and blindly enamored to a player.
Another motive behind the rampant devotion towards sporting events is pride. Nothing is better than representing the town you do, did or never lived in.
Bill Simmons wrote an article on ESPN’s website discussing the hysteria that suddenly consumed people during the World Cup. He noted that Americans are obsessed with sports. We sustain the four major professional leagues along with dozens of other sports, and do so with certain fervor.
“Can you remember a sporting event making us feel as if our national pride was at stake? Me neither,” Simmons wrote.
I didn’t know my sense of patriotism and national identity rested on how many soccer games a select group of men (or women) could win.
I’m not saying give Sunday Night Football, and or season tickets to home baseball games. As a matter of fact, I cheer for my own teams as much as the next person.
I just think there is a time and place for being a loud, rowdy, and raucous fan-boy and a productive member of society.
And maybe a break from all the ranting, facts, and figures of ESPN would be a nice break for all of us.
Reach the columnist at jermac@asu.edu
