Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth
#5 Report Post Old 04-17-2007, 03:15 PM
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Default OT: At least 22 Dead at Virginia Tech
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Posted By: peter chao
It is an unimaginable tragedy, thirty-one young adults have died. It's a senseless shame. This is the reason that we play sports. It allows us to take out our agressions on the playing field. Can you imagine Barry Bonds with a gun, or Wilt Chamberlain with a gun. Thank God for sports.
Peter
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#8 Report Post Old 04-17-2007, 04:00 PM
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Default OT: At least 22 Dead at Virginia Tech
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Posted By: peter chao
Jason L.,
Maybe I'm exaggerating the importance of sports. But how about Jesse Owens at Hitler's Olympic games. Wasn't he in fact showing the master race, that blacks could compete. If I'm totally off-base let me know. Without doubt the killings were a tragedy, but think of what this world would be like without the Olympics every four years.
Peter
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Okay, the part about pondering what specific people might do if they had a gun and no sports outlet is dumb, but I think his greater point is valid.
Sports are an outlet for normal competitiveness. And the Olympics do draw people from different countries together. Americans cheering for Olga Korbut going through her gymnastic routines, for instance, has a real subliminal effect in making people realize that while governments sometimes have idiot leaders, people from different nations are generally very much like us.
I've always felt that in Europe in 1944, let's say, the average American and average German soldiers didn't hate each other at all... they probably both hated Hitler for being put in the ridiculous position of having to try to kill each other to survive.
Sports wouldn't be so universally popular if they didn't serve some real purpose. Part of that purpose is directing things like aggression, physical release of adrenaline, community or national pride and identification, the desire to be victorious (even if our actual role is to sit on a couch with a bag of Doritos cheering for our team,) into contests that are governed by rules, and don't involve bloodshed (boxing aside.)
Here in Minnesota, the Sioux Indians (in the south) used to send raiding parties against the Chippewa Indians (in the north) with regularity. Now, we send the Vikings over to Wisconsin and let them bring us glory by beating the Packers.