Last night I was sitting in the computer lab of the law school waiting for my 7:30 p.m. Civil Procedure class to start. I had finished the reading for the class and had finished the reading for Constitutional Law the next morning. I had burned up the meager motivation that was left in my emotional tank to do work and I had given blood earlier in the day so I was feeling a bit woozy from the excited anticipation I usually have for Civil Procedure. I decided it was best to stop reading, get my books together, and surf the ol 'net for fifteen minutes or so before class.
In plain view of the insane law nerds with looks of desperation and soullessness on their faces as they stared into a list of results on Westlaw or Lexisnexis, I sat flipping through cartoons on Slate.com, later moving on to Sierratradingpost.com to see if there were any deals on sunglasses (there were, but I restrained myself). At some point two guys walked into the lab and began having some sort of heated conversation. The one student was saying he was 36 and made some general condemnations of the legal fraternities and what he percieved as the non- serious students. What then struck me was that the student made a comment about people being excited about the Patriots winning the Superbowl. He said mockingly, "People are talking about how 'we' won- most of these guys wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire."
Now that made me stop and think. What is wrong with getting excited about a major league sports game? You see a broad range of people from plumbers, to accountants, to world leaders at all kinds of sports games getting excited about teams they have nothing to do with-- are they "wrong" some how?
Now, I want to say the following with the caveat that I have never been very good at sports. I have run a marathon, done a triathlon, and I honestly really enjoy running, swimming, biking-- lots of non-traditional type sporty things; however, I probably could not throw a baseball terribly well even at 24. But given all that, I still really got into the Red Sox, went to the U.S. Open one year, I enjoy going to hockey games, get excited about the Superbowl even when the Patriots are not playing-- and I think that is a good thing, even though I could not emulate these guys at anything but a very minor level (case in point- see my high school football career).
Mind you- I am no rabid sports fan, but I generally think that sports provide a positive experience in our society and culture in the same respect that music, art, and theater, just as a few examples, do. Many sports are more than simply violence, they are an exhibition of skill, but no one could deny that many sports bear some resemblance to some form of battle- even if in a distant form. Many sports provide a chance to showcase humanity's strengths and weaknesses on a grand scale without anyone getting killed or seriously injured (usually). You see great talent, leadership, creativity, and teamwork. You also see, cheating, violence, and selfishness.
Personally, I think more often than not we see how the positives win out and it reaffirms some part of us that believes in the positive traits of humanity. As Hugh MacLeod has mentioned in his blog about marketing, people really want to believe in humanity and if you can sell them a product that helps them to have that belief they will have an irrational devotion to that product- that's the same thing I am talking about with sports. I am sure that in sifting through the staggering multitude of legal cases or evaluating the various positive trends you may be able to find some sort of faith in the human spirit, but based on my limited experience- you are more likely to find the opposite. I think this is actually true for a lot of people. In our day to day jobs, we encounter situations that frequently make us question whether society has taken a wrong turn and is speeding towards the metaphorical cliff. The truth is, I think the answer to where society is headed is both extremely complicated in a sense that traditional forms of academia and logic are not equiped to evaluate, but I also think that figuring out the answer can be both exhausting and depressing.
Sports may be just one thing among many, but they are a chance for many, like myself, to believe that there is some hope for humanity. I have the same feeling listening to good musicians or reading brilliant authors- when I read them it allows me to see through the curtains of doubt about life and just feel a sense of hope and connection. I have rarely felt that sense from any case I have ever read, grade I recieved, or assignment I wrote.
So maybe my view is simplistic, maybe I am a mediocre student, maybe I am one of those non-serious students that fellow was talking about, but I think anything that brings people together and allows them some stress free hope for humanity regardless of their economic status or education level...well, in my book that's a pretty good thing.
Go Patriots.
Very well said.
Posted by: Matt | February 09, 2005 at 04:15 PM
Also, let us not forget the reinstating of the "team" mentality by one Coach Belichick. This whole idea of a team, where all players exist for the good of the core (much in the same as what makes an army successful), has been truly devoid from sports in general since the Celtics of the 80's.
Posted by: Conor | February 10, 2005 at 08:14 AM