Before I get into today's post, I just want to thank the reader's for any prayers yesterday. My grandfather is doing much better and will hopefully be out of the hospital in a few days. Moving on. The culture in the United States is becoming one dominated by sports. If you look at the number of people who watched the Superbowl a few weekends ago, it is amazing how many people plaster themselves in front of the TV to watch two football teams butt heads in an attempt to win a trophy. This year was the most watched Superbowl in history as well as the most watched TV show in history. The final numbers came in at 111.3 million viewers. That is more than 1/3 of the population of the United States. Sports, with their extravagantly paid players, has come to dominate conversations, creating rivalries, and giving people an almost permanent distraction from every day life. Its not just football, although that seems to have the biggest draw, but basketball and baseball as well. You have fantasy football leagues that you can play online and endless amounts of data to drive conversations one way or the other. But do sports add any meaning to life or do they just distract us from life, offering us an easy way to converse superficially without any real substance? Men for a long time have had the biggest attraction to sports, but recently, more and more women have been drawn to this addiction as well. Are more women being drawn because they are seeking different ways of relating to men? Or are they simply being drawn because they see the distraction it provides and want to remove themselves from life for a while as well.
Sports, while providing entertainment briefly, has come to dominate lifestyles and our culture as well. More and more conversations revolve around sports, the terms used, and how it relates to our lives that we live every day. It is much easier for people to talk about sports and their favorite teams than it is to talk about themselves and their own lives. Has everyone been sucked into this addiction? Not by any means, but if you look at the numbers, they are not going down, only going up. Is this because we can't relate to one another outside of sports or discuss with each other issues we may be having in our own lives? Many people, men especially, will resort to talking about sports players, the scandals they have, and the issues that arise in their lives, nothing about themselves. There is very little effort put into talking about ourselves, our own lives, our issues, our achievements anymore. It may happen briefly, but many times, the conversation devolves into sports. Last time I checked, Tom Brady isn't going to come to your house and help you with any issues you might have. Your friend might be able to though, if only you discussed it in depth. There is a movement it seems that is taking people away from figuring themselves out, from exploring who they are through conversation with others. For many people, conversations about family and life don't last that long while any conversation about sports can go on for hours, discussing the nuances of missed catches, horribly executed plays, or what will happen next season and which team will trade which player. The way things are heading now, sports will be the only thing we will be able to talk about ten years down the road.
For the record, I did go to a Superbowl party with my wife. But also for the record, I probably only watched about 5 minutes of the game. At the party, I focused on the food and conversations with others, and those conversations did not revolve around sports. At one point, I was talking to an older friend of mine, who like me, doesn't follow football and doesn't know that much about the intricacies of the game. He tried asking me a few questions about the game, and I honestly couldn't answer them. So we talked about our lives instead, our interests and our goals, and where we thought we were headed. The conversation was much more substantial than any I could have had relating to sports and on top of that, I got to know more about him during the Superbowl than I had at any other point. While everyone else couldn't take their eyes off of the football game, we conversed, drank, and ate. Once my wife and I filled up on food, we left; mostly because he had also left and there was no one else to really talk to as the TV had everyone's attention. So we went home, watched the half time show and maybe a few more minutes of the game and went to bed. I didn't even find out who won till the next morning when I read the results online. So much for having something to talk about with other guys. I know I exaggerated a little in how many people are addicted to sports and the conversations that revolve around them, but I don't feel I exaggerated too much. If we don't start focusing on our lives, the issues we deal with every day, and the relationships we have with others, life will start to lose meaning. Sports will become the only meaning that people have in their lives and relating to others will become increasingly difficult. Try not watching a sports game for once, try talking instead about your own life with a friend. It may be difficult, but in the end it will be worth it.
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