Why Do I Give A Shit About Sports?

Photo from Fantasy Knuckleheads

This question was posed by The Punk Patriot on a video he made for his blog.  He doesn't understand how any normal human being could care about sports because, essentially, what happens in the game doesn't really effect anyone's life.  I have never been asked this question before, but I thought this was a great question to ask.  As both a progressive activist, as well as a sports fan, I felt some obligation to answer.  First, here is the video he made:

I wrote my response in the comment section of his post, but I've decided to also put my answer on this blog post.  Here it is:

Why do I give a shit about sports? Great question, and one I am trying to wrap my head around because I've never been asked before. I just grew up loving sports (and everyone else around me loved sports) and I never really thought about it (kind of like religion for a lot of people in that regard). I will try my best to answer it.

Part of it is a connection a fan can develop and feel with a team, teams, or individual players. Does that connection matter in the grander scheme of things? No, but it's fun and feels good to have that connection (although for some, that connection can get unhealthy).

Part of it is that sports is a form of entertainment, similar to a movie, TV, book, etc. It has amazing moments of excellence, devastating moments of defeat and failure, suspense, twists and turns, and all of that other good shit.

And sports is something that, at the end of the day, usually doesn't really matter. It is something that a person can take interest in outside of the hardships of everyday life. It's insignificant fun and 99% of the time, someone's life in doesn't change when they watch sports (that can be reassuring).

As someone who cares about activism and real-world issues, I can understand how that could be frustrating to understand. But there is something refreshing about being able to get together with a friend or relative who you have almost nothing in common (politics, religion, etc.) and be able to root for the same team together. All the other major issues of life don't matter for a little bit. Does that come off as corny? I'm sure it does, but it is the best answer I've got.

Also, while sports is greatly dominated by corporate interests (which I do hate) there are athletes and sports writers who care greatly about progressive politics. I recommend you read some of David Zirin's stuff. He writes about Sports for The Nation.

By the way, despite an solid season of play, I am disappointed that my St. Louis Cardinals could not keep up with the Brewers in the NL Central.  At least I have the Kansas City Chiefs and, more importantly, Missouri Tiger football to look forward to.  M-I-Z . . .Z-O-U!!!