Karl Marx's dictum, that religion is the opiate of the masses, does not hold true in America. Rather, professional sports have become the opiate of the masses, distracting them from far more important things. by Alexander Massa
(libertarian)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
It seems that in modern day America, Marx's dictum, that religion was the opiate of the masses, does not hold true. Rather, it seems that professional sports have become the opiate of the masses; an escape from reality, if you will. Many people think that sports are merely a harmless form of entertainment. However, that assertion could not be further from the truth. Far from being harmless entertaiment, sports, in addition to a myriad of other things, are being used to lull and keep the public asleep, so that they do not take notice of the monumental changes taking place in America and around the world.
The world is collapsing around us, and yet 90% of the adult male population either couldn't care less or aren't even aware of what is going on. They seem to believe that the result of a football or baseball game is more important than the outcome of a national election. There is truly something wrong with the citizenry if they think that entertainment is the most important thing in the world. Entertainment, such as sports, were originally supposed to be treats meant to be partaken in sparingly. Now, however, people do nothing but entertain themselves. People spend countless hours of their lives watching television or playing video games when they could be doing more meaningful things, such as reading a book, taking a walk outside, or playing with their children.
Of all the entertainment forms, sports seems to hypnotize people like nothing else. People postpone or put off more important things just so they can sit down and watch the "game" and cheer for their "team"; as if the multi-million dollar sports players even care about the teams, or the fans, for that matter. People seem to think that their very existences hinge on whether or not a team win a meaningless game. It is truly sad to see grown men crying over a lost football game, but it just goes to show how brainwashed and dumbed-down our population has become.
Furthermore, it becomes extremely disturbing and frightening to see people resort to violence to deal with their anger revolving around a sporting event. It happens all the time; people rioting in the streets, flipping cars, and torching buildings to protest (or even celebrate, stunningly) the outcome of a sporting event. Yet, these are the same people who would not lift a finger, never mind a firearm, to protect and defend their very liberties against those among us who seek to confiscate them and reduce us to serfdom.
It is very disappointing to see people get angry over a sports game and then not get angry over an election or the sorry state of our country. The world is crumbling around us, yet it apparently is far less important than a Red Sox - Yankees game. These fake rivalries have become more divise than partisan politics or religion. There are actually people who genuinely hate others simply because they support a certain sports team. That is not only stupid, it is dangerous. Our country is already divided; do we really need more divisiveness now, especially when it is concerning something so unimportant as sports? To think that there have actually been deaths and mortal wounds inflicted on people because of sports rivalries is something that I cannot (no will I ever be able to be) comprehend. There have actually been cases where people have murdered each other because they support a certain sports team. What does that say about our country? Furthermore, what does that say about our priorities? We'll kill for the Red Sox or the Yankees, or the Jets or the Patriots, but we wouldn't kill to defend liberty and ward off tyranny? We'll foster hatred in our hearts for our fellow Americans because they like a certain team, but we refuse to hate those who hate liberty?
I find it rather humorous that people view sports with a tribal mentality. They seem to believe that just because they sit on their couch with a foam finger that they somehow are a part of the team, when they, in fact, are not. Also, when said team wins or loses, sports fans have the audacity to say "we won" or "we lost". We won. Really? You won? Were you out there on the field playing the game? No, of course not. It is just that these wayward lost souls want to feel as though they are a part of something marginally important, so they pretend that they are an integral part of a team that a) doesn't personally even know they exist and b) couldn't care less about them even if they did know the person in question. Sports is all about money, not loyalty to some stupid "team" that has turned into some modern-day tribe. After all, if it were about loyalty, teams wouldn't so cavalierly trade players like they so often do.
It is very frustrating to try to explain this to someone who themselves are brainwashed. People refuse to believe something so "innocuous" as sports could pose such a deadly threat to the Republic. But people do not recognize that sports themselves aren't the problem; the people who have a slavish devotion towards them are. People who are so obsessed with sports that they neglect other, much more important, parts of their lives are the problem and they are a serious one at that.
Americans need to turn off, tune out, and drop in. We need to wake up and come to the aid of our dying Republic in these fateful days. May God Bless America and wake up her citizens, before it is too late. For we WILL regret it if we do not preserve our Republic. Sadly, it may already be too late to combat the forces of tyranny at work in America. We can only hope that it is not too late...
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Posted By: Walt Thiessen
Date: 2009-12-24 11:24:07
With literally thousands of sporting events at the college and professional levels taking place each year, I had no idea that each of them was leading to violence. I refer to where you said, "Furthermore, it becomes extremely disturbing and frightening to see people resort to violence to deal with their anger revolving around a sporting event. It happens all the time; people rioting in the streets, flipping cars, and torching buildings to protest (or even celebrate, stunningly) the outcome of a sporting event." It happens all the time, eh? Wow! Who knew?
On a more sane note, you're missing a great opportunity to learn here. You've noticed how strongly entertainment captures the attention of the masses. Very good, although it would have been better if you had noticed that this observation ALSO applies to movies, TV, theatre, novels, music, and other forms of entertainment besides sports. Next you need to put this information to better use. Instead of complaining about it, you should learn that the way to reach the people is via entertainment. We should be using entertainment to spread the message of liberty, not complain about it. That's why I wrote my novel, The Money Suckers. It's why we need a lot more people within the movement to learn how to entertain.
As for those who say they can't learn...of course they can. I did.
Posted By: Alexander Massa
Date: 2009-12-24 11:27:00
It doesn't matter if the violence is few and far between - ANY violence having to deal with sports is ridiculous and dangerous. That'd be like saying murder isn't dangerous because it doesn't happen to everyone in every neighborhood.
Also, this article dealt specifically with sports, hence the title. I'll talk about other entertainment later.
So, we have a libertarian against the right of individuals to choose their own opiate. Wow! I thought individual liberty was a main feature of libertarianism.
Posted By: Jahfre Fire Eater
Date: 2009-12-25 11:10:17
Hi Alexander,
I agree that sports is a political tool. I've described this in previous articles. Starting with school rivalries and pep rallies children are indoctrinated into patterns of behavior that provide a safe, socially acceptable outlet for their passions.
This is "bread and circuses" in a highly refined form. Teaching the citizens these patterns of behavior ensures on-going support for the perpetual wars an empire must wage to keep ahead of the growing masses of enemies it leaves in its wake. Does that mean every sports fanatic is a war supporter? Of course not. It is a numbers game. The patterns of targeting the rival then unleashing unrelenting venom and hatred for them are taught to nearly every citizen. Enough will follow the pattern to support any actions taken against the properly identified rival.
Sports and entertainment have been political tools for most of the past century. The tactics are pure psychological warfare against the deep-rooted and pervasive desire to pursue individual liberty. They have control of our schools and the manipulations start there then carry right through to adulthood. Not opiates, in my view. More like conditioning, brain washing or even creation of remote-control over the masses.
Imagine this: Collapse the NFL financially then channel the resulting outrage...you've got yourself an instant army from coast-to-coast...willing to do anything as an outlet for their habit.
Posted By: Alexander Massa
Date: 2009-12-25 15:56:07
sovereignjim - When did I ever say people couldn't choose their own opiate? All I said was that it was stupid to be addicted to sports to the point where you ignore important things going on. Why don't you read what I wrote before you make such asinine statements?
Of all of Mr. Massa's ridiculous pseudo-libertarian pieces of nonsense, this clearly wins the top prize. Sports is actually a GREAT teacher and example of market economics, and a subject I return to frequently in class.
1) The rise of Baseball as the 'national sport' is a direct result of unstoppable demographic and technological changes that ocurred from the industrial revolution through the immigration of the 1920s. As always, it is proof that the Market is a more powerful social force than Government.
2) The notion of the Referee serving as Owner, Coach, or Player on a team is absurd. It is an understandable concept, readily grasped by students, that can be applied to the governments bailout and ownership of auto and financial companies.
3) The Supreme Court's unwillingness to apply Anti-Trust laws to Baseball, as well as the revenue-sharing formula and marketing efforts in MBL, the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL directly challenges the socialist's notions that all businesses must be prohibited from cost-effective integration.
4) In an era when communication and relationships are superficial and geographically dispersed, it is easy to emphasize the UNITED states over the United STATES. And yet, most students will tell you that the single most important 'product' they are purchasing when they 'buy into' a favorite team is IDENTITY. They may facebook friends in China and Chile, and purchase from National chain stores, but they are BOSTON RED SOX (or NY Yankee, or NOLA Saints or Pittsburgh Steeler) Fans. Sports teams, more than any other entity, preserves a sense of LOCATION among men and young people and becomes a metaphorical platform from which to explain the importance of a decentralized society.
5) Inherent in sports is the notion that payscales - regardless of how high - and winning records should be connected with performance. Sports challenges the notion that we are all the same, and that 'equality' is a more important virture than reward for accomplishment.
6) No economist worth his salt would suggest that the populace should be concerned with what is on the FDA's agenda, the phone number of the EPA, or the secretary's name at Senator Snodgrasses office. The public is, appropriately, Rationally Apathetic. The Cost of keeping abreast is greater than any personal Benefit they will receive by knowing this stuff. Therefore, rather than sports being an 'opiate,' sports is an understandable, digestible topic from which the astute statesman can communicate libertarian ideals.
Why do you want someone who would rather watch a baseball game to focus on politics? What difference does it make what they do in their spare time? It doesn't change the direction of this country whether people do what they want to do and what you want them to do.
Perhaps you should think of a couple laws making your worthwhile activities mandatory for all civilians "for the fate of our nation".
Posted By: Ross Williams
Date: 2009-12-29 08:50:02
The world is collapsing around us...
Hellenistic philosophers were saying the same thing 2,500 years ago. And I'm positive you can find some scrolls lamenting that Athenian citizens were spending too much time cheering on their naked wrestlers than familiarizing themselves with the threat Xerxes posed them, and whether to fund and build a navy to counter it.
One of my personal pet peeves is officiating, particularly in baseball. Sports is supposed to be an athletic competition between two teams using a standard set of rules enforced -- and enforced equally.
Those charged with enforcing those rules are the umpires. When the umpires do not enforce the rules, or [more often] enforce a non-standard interpretation of the rules in their place, it ceases being a sport and becomes politics. The game moves from "I need to throw strikes" to "What do I have to do in order to get this lame-brained umpire to recognize my pitch as a strike?"
Politics, frequently, is the uneven application of rules that are otherwise even. And when the home plate umpire hasn't got a clue where the strike zone, or is simply too lazy to put himself in a position to call it, then he is unwittingly benefiting certain pitchers whose style of pitching is served by having a wide outside corner, or batters who can't catch up to the fast ball between the nipples and the navel -- which are strikes when over the plate.
And this creates an uneven game wherein the rules are secondary to gaining favor with the idiot Blue. Much like the real world. We all have freedom of speech -- it's in the rules -- but if you use it around a TSA weenie, or in the courthouse when you, assigned to jury duty, don't want to take off your hat just because a judge tells you it's "his courtroom" and you must ... you're going to be punished for it.
[By the way, yeronner, it's not your courtroom; it's mine. You're just the temporary placeholder running it. Remember that always. I do.]
Sports, as a minimum, is a metaphore for politics. [If one insists on diving headfirst into "fantasy leagues", it is a metaphore for actuarial 'science']. In practice, sports frequently is politics.
This is such an excellent and very timely article. Very well written! No one here is refuting your "rights" to be a brain-dead sportsaholic zombie if you choose to be. Most people are just like you... and how very sad it is. A call to action is indeed necessary for people to wake up from their aspartame diets and fluoridated-water induced apathy.
After working all day for "the man" who has created a system for you to always remain a debt-slave thanks to the illegally, unconstitutional Federal Reserve system; the average dumbed-down American simply turns on their boob tube and now has something to be excited about, lol. Very sad indeed.
With actually bags of antic contest at the academy and able levels demography abode anniversary year testinside 220-602, I had no abstraction that anniversary of them was arch to violence. I accredit to area you said, "Furthermore, it becomes acutely advancing and alarming to see humans resort to abandon to accord with their acrimony revolving about a antic event. It happens all the time; humans agitation in the streets, flipping cars, and torching barrio to beef (or even celebrate, stunningly) the aftereffect of a antic event." It happens all the time, eh? Wow! Who knew?
On a added sane note, you're missing a abundant befalling to apprentice here. You've noticed how acerb ball captures the absorption of the masses. Very good, although it would accept been bigger if you had noticed that this ascertainment ALSO applies to movies, TV, theatre, novels, music, and added forms of ball besides sports. Next you charge to put this advice to bigger use. Instead of accusatory about it testinside 220-601, you should apprentice that the way to ability the humans is via entertainment. We should be application ball to advance the bulletin of liberty testinside 83-640, not accuse about it. That's why I wrote my novel, The Money Suckers testinside 70-662. It's why we charge a lot added humans aural the movement to apprentice how to entertain.
Posted By: Tim Greenwood
Date: 2010-06-08 10:45:26
Great article. I know it is true and I am an ex addict who manages to mostly manage my addiction with the occasional shot of ESPN followups on the internet.
There is someting beautiful about sports but I think it is probably participation is what it should be about.
I think you may be right about sports! Sure, we enjoy it, but, as you said, we do take it a bit too far with the team merchandise(have you bought any team jerseys or other apparel)and cheering on our teams, when we don't play for them(I like sports, myself)and there are things we should be looking into, but don't! Important things! Tell me this, were you, personally, ever a sports fan?
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