TITLE: AMERICAN FOOTBALL: an aspect of USA culture that some hate
TOPIC: American Football
SOURCE: http://jigarbpatel.blogspot.com/2009/02/5-things-i-hate-about-usa-part-5.html as well as "real life" observation which took place on Superbowl Sunday with about 8 friends, both male and female.
RELATION: Football, as the book states, "provides a small scale rendering of a concept that is too complex to be directly comprehended," (Robbins, 24). This is so true as football is a complex concept. There are many ways to analyze it but there are no clear cut reasons as to what exactly football "means".
DESCRIPTION: With Superbowl Sunday happening just a week ago, I've decided to reflect on the day itself. With some people feeling so strongly as to wish it was a national holiday, I can only wonder why this day is SO significant to many. When I woke up on Superbowl Sunday, I had about a million options for places to watch it, complete with great food and company. Yet, I didn't really care too much about the game itself. Trying to decide which friend's house to go to was stressful in itself and I almost stayed home to do homework instead. However, I couldn't pass up some free homemade food. Obviously I wasn't in it for the game. I got to my friend's house and we started to watch the game. I probably watched a total of 10 minutes but the boys that also came were glued to the TV. Emotions ran high the entire game and when the game finally ended, there was tension. Some of the boys present had just lost a bet with the Giants winning and they were clearly upset that they had to pay up. This was all so interesting to me as I was not really into the whole glorified event.
Some funny quotes from http://jigarbpatel.blogspot.com/2009/02/5-things-i-hate-about-usa-part-5.html..
Ass slapping, tight pants, excessive protection, and a ridiculously shaped ball. Sounds like a bunch of schizophrenic ten-year-olds developed this game.
- Oscar Wilde
If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.
- Erma Bombeck
Most football teams are temperamental.That's 90% temper and 10% mental.
- Doug Plank
"Pro football is like nuclear warfare. There are no winners, only survivors.- Frank Gifford
It's interesting what this quote states, because the book has a similar commentary about the violence of the game and the war-like nature of it. I never considered football "warlike" until I was reading the chapter and it is easy to see now. Only one winner, fighting till the death pretty much. It's all so very interesting.
COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS: I am in no way hating on the game of football. Yes, it is entertaining but maybe a little over glorified just as all professional sports are. It is definitely an interesting subject to dissect and take a closer look at.
I agree that it is WAYYY too glorified. Maybe it gives people a chance to be excited about something? who knows?! I don't really like football either. I think its really wierd how some people care more about watching football than they do about anything else. I don't get why it is such a popular sport.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on not enjoying watching a 56min games last 3 hours. This super bowl I spent time outside in the sunshine with a lil one playing with grass. The invites I got for this event were amazing, the chance to hangout with friends is very tempting. Usually lots of good food is at events when people gather to watch, and as we've talked about before food brings people together. Also this game gives people something in common to relate to one another. They share the strife and joy that the players in their team go through during the game.
ReplyDeleteAnother cultural part that I see is the shows that occur during halftime. Over the years they have changed to what is "popular" at the time. The slack lining in this year’s was a pervious HSU student, who started the Slackers club here. The entire event is a representation of what our culture values at that moment in time. From hardworking players, to entertainment forms and products we enjoy that can afford to advertise during game. In the 80's Disney was part of the half-time show, now its is the hottest pop-stars. Would we enjoy the super bowl as much if we didn't have the commercials and halftime show? Would it make the audience who would enjoy it smaller, and thus making it less important of cultural event?
The game itself is definitely glorified like you said. A lot of it can be related back to advertising and making money, it is considered the biggest day in advertising as well. I also think that the players are praised all too well and that they get overpaid, but that is just economics unfortunately. But seeing how our culture is sort of pulled towards this event like a magnet is amazing. "Amazing" not in the condescending sense, but amazing in the sense that it is such an influential event in our lives. Maybe if more human rights and environmental issues were brought up in those commercials it would have an entirely different cultural meaning (and extremely contradictory to it's warlike metaphor).
ReplyDeleteAll that put aside, I love the game itself, and the warlike, yet sportsman like mentality one must have to play it. Without even thinking about the professional side of it, it is one of my favorite sports to play with friends, and in a way it is that war that brings us closer together in the end (if everyone has sportsmanship of course).
Superbowl sunday is extremely glorified its like each states little soldiers march out for war each year hoping to diminish all other teams. People especially men find something in football that they relate too, and they find some kind of love for it. It may be overrated but its about more than the sport itself. Its about the people, the dedication, the hardwork, the hope, the state support, its something that America can call their own.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely. I think that's why it's able to become so glorified, especially when the country is in such a bad state. The Superbowl allows people for forget about their problems for a little while, it's why sports and entertainment make so much profit. Americans can identify, and feel a part of something, even when things may be falling apart.
Delete