Why is society obsessed with sport? Why is it promoted to the extent that athletes receive exorbitant incomes and are able to live such lavish lifestyles? It is quite simple. Sport in all its many forms, has yet to progress beyond its original role in society. The barbarity has perhaps been tamed to a degree, the complexity enhanced, yet it largely serves the purpose of keeping the masses distracted. An ignorant plebiscite is a happy and obedient one. On every level, sport creates a distraction from reality. Entertainment of course is the simplest and most obvious. The heavy, intense debate, the “politics” of sport have advanced to the point that many will grab for the sports section, casting the world news aside like so many refugees and victims littering its pages. The huge salaries and endorsements given to players serve two equally devious purposes. One, it gives people something to complain about, which is when people tend to be the most happy, and second, being in the public’s eye having “made it” keeps the illusion of the “American Dream” mentality alive. The gambling which takes place of course feeds the intensity of commitment to being a frenzied viewer. Ironically whilst engaged in the stats and pool results in the sports pages, the sports fan is distracted from the business section which lays out in delicate detail the impact suffered by the economy on the larger than life craps table which is the Free Market Stock Exchange. Sport is of course not entirely devoted towards evil and politics, it offers an engaging form of exercise and encourages positive growth in areas such as team building and cooperation, however, like all else in this world of ours it is not free of the influence of corruption.

Written by Andrew