US Sports Culture
In the United States, sports play an important role in the representations of people across the country. People take pride and identity in sports and sports can serve as a major spectacle and entertainment for many Americans.Among the vast spectrum of sports celebrated and practiced in the U.S., Football, Basketball, Baseball and Hockey are among the most viewed. Together, they average an astonishing 132.7 thousand spectators!
Male dominated sports are what dominate the the sports industry in America. The high levels of competition and intensity, along with all the serious injuries that have occurred during these sporting events are what makes these specific sports so notorious in the U.S.
'Game days' for many of these sports typically arrive with days worth of high anticipation. Fans throughout the country broadcast their allegiances to these sport teams through various forms, whether it is by wearing their team's colors, throwing a viewing party, or sharing their opinions on social networks, the ongoing themes of competition and masculinity are exerted through their expressions. 
It is then fair to say that in the US a 'successful' athlete is often one who receives an abundance of fan notoriety and recognition. Although this can take a series of forms, in essence one can say that a successful athlete is one who goes above and beyond their performance and often contributes to the overall success of their teams achievement. After all, winning is what is truly important in sports in the USA.
Isn't it interesting how focused the US is on team sports - the collaborative effort and yet we will often blame one individual (e.g., the kicker, the quarterback) for "losing the game"? Why the strange disconnect?
ReplyDeleteI feel like as a society it is in our nature to always look for someone or something to blame when we don't get the results we expect. With such high expectations to win, when a player on the team ruins a play, we automatically label him the antagonist. Rather than seeing it as a bad play on the whole team, we focus on that one particular individual as being deviant to the goals and plays of the collective team effort. Interestingly enough, there are times when the person who is often blamed is the coach, who never actually steps on the field. -Rosy
ReplyDeleteWhether it is a loss or a bad play someone is always blamed like you said, and the whole picture is never looked at. It is sad that this is what our society does. When teams loses, they lose as a team; not just one play, or one teammate loses the game for them. There should be no blaming.
ReplyDeleteGia Porreco