> I'm not sure how injecting sports fans' POV into the political sphere will
> elevate or produce any change whatsoever in the money-worshiping mentality
> that already governs US politics.
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[MG]There's no relationship at all between sports and politics, except
insofar as sports has replaced religion as the modern opiate of the masses.
Most people have a much more intense attachment to their home teams than to
their home churches, and sports has become both the preferred means of
escape from the stresses of work and family responsibilities, and of
identification with the larger community - transcending the boundries of
class, gender, race, religion, political affiliation, etc. You only had to
be here when the Senators just fell short of winning the Stanley Cup to
appreciate how much energy and passion is collectively invested in the fate
of the home team, especially when it is seen to be on a "mission" to capture
the grail.
Nevertheless, for those of us who could run down the rosters and stats of our local teams by the time we hit grade one, it became the best way, particularly in the absence of any mass movement, for people like ourselves - activists, artists, and intellectuals - to bridge the cultural gulf which began to separate us from others. It was always a great ice-breaker for me in the workplace, with my neighbours, and when I first met my prospective in-laws, especially the males in the family. But that's really been it's only redeeming quality. You either imbibe sports culture in your neighbourhood growing up or you mostly don't acquire it at all because there's no compelling reason why it would interest any serious adult.