Before I begin I must inform any readers that this is an editorial piece and not a hard news article. I am expressing my opinion on a subject that has many interpretations. I apologize to no one for expressing my opinion and I encourage discussion and even debate for any other interpretation and welcome the idea of having my perspective altered.
Living in Northern Virginia the past few years, I have watched and contemplated the caliber of society we perpetuate as one of the wealthiest counties in all America.
I believe and, dare say, know that what is considered normal and expected is actually very far from normal in terms of humanity as a species. Nowhere else in the world do people live with the privileges every citizen in the U.S. has and takes for granted on a daily basis. In fact, my right to express this opinion without fear of some sort or restraint of some kind is a concept that many people around the world have never known.
In this respect, I find that American's idealization and romantic entanglement with professional sports and entertainment is quite astonishingly mad.
Don't misinterpret my analysis for a distaste for pro sports. I am just as taken with it as anyone else, and more so than many, but on a purely socially-relevant-to-world-affairs level; the fact is we've created a multi-billion dollar industry that in no way need exist.
As a country, we idolize professional athletes and entertainers; it is born of a necessity that, as self-aware human beings, we require activities and challenges that allow us to experience—not just survival and existence—but a sense of meaning to said existence.
In this respect, we have created many institutions that scientifically serve no purpose other than to provide and escape from the fear of the unknown we share as a people.
I find it baffling that in a time of war, poverty, and terror in much of the world we wrap ourselves in the warmth of a series of activities that really makes no sense. We hold the participants in higher esteem than those making a real impact upon the world and our future.
The minimum salary for a Major League Baseball player is $390,000 a year—yet our educators, who are responsible for shaping an aspect of who we are, earn barely more than a poverty level income.
I am afraid my opinion is one born of angst at myself, as well as society in some ways, because it seems that society has moved away from seeking out new knowledge and prefers to occupy itself with the inconsequential.
Five hundred years from today I would be willing to wager that no one on Earth (should there be anyone at that time) will care or know what baseball, or football, or any other sport of our era was or who played them unless anthropology and archaeology become modern sports storytellers.
My point is that, while I love sports to a fault, there is a need to extricate or distance ourselves as a society from emphasizing their true importance. We must begin a shift back towards bettering ourselves as a society and place value on the people who truly deserve it—not those who entertain us.
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5 months ago
Hi Steven -
This is a classic diamonds versus water paradox dating back a couple hundred years and is often presented in an intro economics course. If water is so necessary for life, how come diamonds are so much more expensive?
I don't think it's because there's something fundamentally wrong with society.
No one questions that the total usefulness of all the teachers in the country outweighs the usefulness of all MLB players. The real question is, how much would you value an additional John Smith, teacher versus an additional Alex Rodriguez, baseball player? Because his skills are unique and many people want to see him play, A-Rod demands a higher price.
And that's alright with me. If we're ever in dire straights, baseball will be the first thing to go.
On second thought, maybe hockey.
5 months ago
Hey Ben,
First off I just want to say thank you for taking the time to comment on my writing - that's cool. Second, I agree with everything you've said on the subject. I especially like the water/diamonds example - and that is exactly the same thing as athletes & teachers. I agree that their isn't necessarily a terrible problem with the foundation of society, only that there is a need to prioritize between what's good for society now & what's good for society in the long term.
I apologize; my post is woefully short and does not go into nearly the detail or depth that I would like (that's what I get for writing it at 3am on Sunday night instead of studying for finals), but I hope the main idea is there. Sports and leisure; entertainment in general is technically unnecessary from a survival point of view but is needed at the level of development we as a species have achieved. I only venture to say that, it seems to me there is a trend in motion where we are slowly becoming more interested in our leisure than in our society's well-being. I suppose that I am channeling the idea of instant self-gratification that is demanded and expected by a large number of, at the least, my generation.
Anyway, I'll finish with this: hockey & baseball will certainly outlast curling and lacrosse... So, we don't have too many immediate worries. Go Braves!
from 5 months ago
Hey! I played lacrosse in HS! Truth be told, I actually really like curling. It's the only winter olympic sport I watch. I'm going throw out figure skating as the first to go. What a snooze-fest.
5 months ago
I don't disagree with your assertion that the priorities of our society are skewed, but watching a game, attending a movie, seeing a TV show, and watching entertainers walk the red carpet provides many people a temporary escape from what might be deemed a complacent existence. The glamour, notoriety, and lifestyles provide people the ability to dream and live vicariously through these people and their accomplishments. I watch competition because I enjoy the games being played, I enjoy accomplishment, and attach some sort of emotion to the outcomes. Personally, I don't care what car they drive or how big their rims are, and how many plasmas they have in their homes. Unfortunately, we live in a time where that gets more emphasis than the success of making the honor society. The great athlete in high school who got C's is more popular than the kid with the straight A average and lots of community involvement. Sucks, but that is the way it is. That is just American culture.
Throughout human history, we have always wanted someone or something to root for and support, beginning in ancient times when we saw gladiators so revered they became kings, olympians so decorated they were forever preserved in stone, entertainers have streets and cities named for them, and athletes make more money over the course of a contract than the GNP of many small countries in the world. They also bring in a lot of money, so while the general "importance" on a larger scale might be little, economically, athletics and entertainment is an enterprise creating many jobs billions in revenue for this country.
I find it interesting to identify the correlation between society and entertainment. Never has there been a time where celebrities are more poorly behaved, misrepresented, but also admired and shadowed. There has never been a larger sense of entitlement or acceptance of mediocrity by society, and this is all shown in our entertainment. While it is a responsibility inherent to all celebrities to try and provide a good example to society, it is also the duty of the parents to do so, and to try and balance the upbringing of their children so that they are participants and well informed on all fronts. Sadly, its easier for many parents to give their children a video game console and 300 cable television channels than to encourage them to better their minds. The subsequent glorification of entertainers, whether they are athletes, singers, actors, etc is all they see on the screen.
5 months ago
This was definitely an interesting article to read, although I have to completely disagree with your assessment. While of course teachers and other professions of the like undoubtedly have a greater societal significance that pro athletes, you fail to recognize the economics of the situation. Yes, teachers make a starting salary that isn't very high. However, who is paying THEIR salary? The answer is the state and local governments, who only have so much money to spend. In fact, the state would go bankrupt if they were forced to pay every teacher even as much as a $100,000 a year minimum, let alone $390,000. Now with baseball players, their salaries are being paid by extremely wealthy owners, who end up making 10 times more money by investing in those players. In that sense, paying a player will always be worth it, as the investment will result in greater capital. Therefore, unless teaching ever became a private enterprise, which of course will never happen except for private schools, this is simply the way it should be. Feel free to let me know what you think about the idea.
5 months ago
There IS something fundamentally wrong with this country...don't sell yourself short.
Sports and entertainment are outlets for Americans who do not want to face the harsh realities of global warming, globalization of resourses and the systematic elimination of the middle class by the neoliberal policies employed to buoy a free market society
That is all I will say. Look up neoliberalism and what you will find will be very disturbing. It is a system that is designed to make the rich richer and keep the poor poor. The wealth gap between these two groups continues to widen as we speak with no end in sight.
In order to be considered wealthy in this world (notice I didn't say country, because this is a multinational culture) you have to be worth more than $10 million. If you have less, you may as well have nothing.
My prediction is the run on resources will continue, global warming will become a reality, the population will continue to entrope and the world will reach desperate times within the next 40-50 years.
The earth will no longer be habitable.
So, we may as well enjoy the games, because we're way past the tipping point of saving civilization....
5 months ago
Very well-written and interesting article.
The first and most important reason why so much of our society's resources are poured into sports is because we live in a capitalistic society. Athletes make millions of dollars because fans will shell out money to watch those athletes play. If millions of fans wanted to pay 100 some-odd bucks to attend 81 seminars a year, then college professors would make just as much as athletes.
Also, because we live in a society where our basic needs are taken care of (we can walk a block or two to pick up food, water, and essentials, and for most people housing isn't a major concern) we have more time for leisure. In fact, our society may be defined as a leisure society.
If we are working throughout the day, we may be mentally and physically exhausted when we arrive at home, so relaxation and entertainment become our priorities over other more practical or scholarly activities.
Plus, human nature will never disappear. We enjoy being mesmerized by spectacular feats of awe. While it isn't useful or practical at all, hitting a small round object coming at you 100 miles per hour, 400 feet into the distance is ridiculous.
Combine this with the structure of a team, the roles of individual players on the team, the nature of competition, the growth or regression of individuals, the strategic employment of achieving goals, the ability for individuals to perform above and beyond their expectations, and you have yourself a wonderful little circuit that can be appreciated by millions.
Sports is like art. Do artists need to paint, anymore than athletes need to play? Do theater-goers have any practical purpose to enjoy a play (unless the play is a social commentary urging change)? When you view the Mona Lisa or look at the roof of the Sistine Chapel, do you admire the practicality?
And finally, and perhaps most truthfully in my sense, basketball is one hell of a drug!
5 months ago
"The minimum salary for a Major League Baseball player is $390,000 a year—yet our educators, who are responsible for shaping an aspect of who we are, earn barely more than a poverty level income."
I am soon to be in the educational field myself, and while I would gladly take on a pay increase, I understand the deviation (ignoring economic realities).
Do a google search, 'sports stars gone wild' and compare it to 'teachers gone wild' the popularity and intensity of hits will be extraordinarily higher with the sports stars then with educators. Is this saying sports stars are more 'wild' or simply highly covered? I would assert a little bit of both, but as a general population, neither has an alarming trend.
That said, do a poll at an elementary school, find out how many children if they could be ANYTHING in the world would choose to be Beyonce or Tom Brady? Then find out how many want to be teachers. While teachers do help with the shaping and molding of a student, so too do celebrities. I would wager the celebrities in a democratic nation have a bigger effect as they are even changing the lives of adults who are changing the lives of students.
Nice piece...
5 months ago
"The minimum salary for a Major League Baseball player is $390,000 a year—yet our educators, who are responsible for shaping an aspect of who we are, earn barely more than a poverty level income."
I am soon to be in the educational field myself, and while I would gladly take on a pay increase, I understand the deviation (ignoring economic realities).
Do a google search, 'sports stars gone wild' and compare it to 'teachers gone wild' the popularity and intensity of hits will be extraordinarily higher with the sports stars then with educators. Is this saying sports stars are more 'wild' or simply highly covered? I would assert a little bit of both, but as a general population, neither has an alarming trend.
That said, do a poll at an elementary school, find out how many children if they could be ANYTHING in the world would choose to be Beyonce or Tom Brady? Then find out how many want to be teachers. While teachers do help with the shaping and molding of a student, so too do celebrities. I would wager the celebrities in a democratic nation have a bigger effect as they are even changing the lives of adults who are changing the lives of students.
Nice piece...
5 months ago
Nice article Steven, and a relevant topic. I too find myself caught up in the sports culture and agree that our idolization of sports and entertainment stars is ludicrous and borderline pathologic. Of course, the reason these stars make the kind of wage they do is because we are willing to pay them with merchandise sales, exaggerated ticket prices, and television rights. It's big money, and it is coming out of our pockets. Between jersey purchases, tickets, cable bills etc., I wager that I've probably spent close to seven hundred dollars this year on sports. And I don't make much money. Though I always vote for extra school funding, many in my community will vote against an increase that would raise their taxes by TEN DOLLARS! It's the fundamental head in the sand pathos that eventually infects all great nations. We become less concerned with our country, society, and the world, and become more concerned with the ordinary pleasures of life. Entertainers throughout history have only enjoyed exorbitant success in wealthy nations on a downhill slide. The difference is, we're doing it at an exaggerated pace. The Romans went from great to decadent over a couple hundred years. We're on pace to do it in a couple decades. You can see it happening in every facet of American life, from politicians who bicker and fling trash but can't get anything done, to "news" agencies that spew only propaganda, to the culture of denial relating to most of the biggest issues of our time. Sports worship is just a symptom of a larger, inevitable decline. And as long as we're willing to pay sixty times more for it (from my own example; much more in other cases) than for social improvement of any kind, the trend will only continue.
5 months ago
As already stated, economics is the key part to all of this. Are teachers important? Yeah. Do they make a big impact? Depends on the teacher. Also keep in mind that the competition to be a teacher is not as intense or crowded as the competition to hit homeruns for a living.
Sports are really a microcosm of human experience. The displays of individual excellence, team excellence, camaraderie, discord, strategy, deceit, drama, willpower, submission, perseverance, determination, commitment, victory, defeat. These are all things that are common to all of us. When sports are played at any level, you are seeing the abstract ideas I mentioned earlier become reality. The well prepared people who get along well and have a good strategy will usually prevail, whether that is in basketball or in business or the development of clean energy.
Sports also provide a type of "conversational currency." A common bond for people to share and discuss, providing a thread that can connect people in our complex social fabric. I once saw a program about how the Dodgers left Brooklyn. After they left, the difference "races" of people had no common thread to speak about anymore, no common place to meet, and so relations among different types of people deteriorated.
I could go on and on, but really, as I said, sports is like life simplified. The lessons learned through sports are really lessons about life. That is why we have an innate fascination with it, in my opinion.
5 months ago
So if the questions is; are pro athletes overpaid? The answer is NO! Obviously the money is there to pay them, and they are but a handful of people in the entire world who can do the things they do. If you're one of the top 400 basketball players in the WORLD, you probably deserve an NBA paycheck.
And if the second question is; are school teachers underpaid? The answer is YES! Get them more money and leave the athletes alone!
5 months ago
Frank Deford came to my Basic Reporting class a few weeks ago, and in the midst of the Q&A session, I asked him, "Why do you think sports is important?"
A few people I know around college absolutely deplore sports. They see no point in them and think they are taking up valuable time, space, and money. One girl in my English class said that I was wasting my talents as a writer because I wrote a paper on why the Cubs should knock down Wrigley and move out of Chicago (it was a semi-satirical piece, by the way.) So I figured I'd ask him why he thought sports were necessary.
His answer gave me a lot of focus. He said that ever since the dawn of time, every sentient culture has played in some way, shape, or form. Fun and games are an integral part of every group; never mind humanity. Do we put too much emphasis on sport? Sometimes. But the world around us, especially today, is too much to bear all the time. The escape to something familiar and safe is the reason we love sports. The salaries are way too high and some of the players are not role models, but sports does make sense. It has a place in the world.
Great article, something I'd expect to see from Rick Telander in my hometown Sun-Times. Keep writing, man (after you're done with finals, of course.)
-Chris
5 months ago
Wow, great conversation piece. The diamonds/water argument is definitely the best explanation. Plain and simple, athletes are entertainers and they are valued so highly because they are the best at what they do, have unique skills, and generate ridiculous revenues for the sports industry.
5 months ago
Good read...The out-of-date map is pretty funny too. The Grizzlies are still in Vancouver, and the football void in Houston is happening, and Charlotte is home of the Hornets, not the Bobcats
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