The Joy of Football

The Super Bowl Offers a Too-Rare Celebration of Goal-Achievement

By Thomas A. Bowden

As half the nation eagerly awaits the kickoff of the Super Bowl, the other half looks on in wonderment at what could be so enthralling about grown men running up and down a field carrying an oblong ball.

Football fans who cannot articulate why they feel such passion for the game may retreat to their television sets feeling a vague sense of guilt that, perhaps, they are wasting their time.

However, no guilt is called for, because watching sports satisfies a vital human need.

The essential value of spectator sports lies in their capacity to illustrate, in a dramatic way, the process of human goal-achievement. They do this by making the process shorter, simpler, and more visually exciting than it is in daily life — and by giving us heroes to admire.

A process of goal-achievement underlies everything that makes our lives richer, from discovering new medicines to learning about computers, from pursuing a career to enjoying friends and family. But success is not automatic — each such endeavor must be started and maintained, often in the face of great obstacles, by an individual’s choices. To gather the moral courage to make their own difficult choices each day, people need inspiration — the spiritual fuel that flows from the sight of another’s achievement.

Unfortunately, our culture’s traditional sources of inspiration have dried up. Today’s movies give us serial killers or self-mocking secret agents, novels feature the pedestrian and the neurotic, and television news programs expose public figures cravenly compromising their ideals. In this value-challenged milieu, sporting events offer us a rare glimpse of heroes at work.

But how can heroic stature arise from a perfectly useless act like carrying a football across a goal line? The answer is that the non-utilitarian nature of sporting goals provides a limited, safe context in which everyone’s focus can be on the process of goal-achievement as such, not on the particular nature or value of the goal. Just imagine how the carefree joy of watching a Super Bowl would be crushed if, for example, one learned that a friend’s life depended on the outcome.

Spectator sports invite us to take pleasure in our capacity for admiration. Different athletes display different virtues — one performs well under pressure, another shows consistent excellence despite advancing age, a third publicly takes pride in his accomplishments — but each contributes to the vast storehouse of sporting memories that fans draw upon every day, as reminders that difficult goals can be achieved by focused, dedicated effort.

Because physical action is stressed in all spectator sports, some potential fans may be bored by the prospect of watching bodies run around on a playing surface. But in truth, sports — like all human endeavors — have both a mental and physical component, and spectators who learn and follow the intricate strategy behind each play obtain maximum satisfaction from the game.

Sports offer as close to a universal value language as we have left. The sense of brotherhood that sports fans feel makes it possible for complete strangers to find themselves happily discussing the latest exploits (or ruefully noting the recent failures) of their favorite team.

Ultimately, sporting events like football’s Super Bowl offer a microcosmic vision of what “real life” could, and should, be like.

In a society that increasingly rewards weakness and failure, sports fans appreciate that each athlete has to earn his way onto the field by proving his superior ability, and that physical and mental handicaps will be recognized for what they are — obstacles to be overcome on the road to achievement, not values in their own right.

In a nation whose laws are increasingly arbitrary, sports fans look forward to spending time in a world where the rules are explicit, known in advance by all participants, and fair to everyone.

In a culture that preaches the deadening duty of self-sacrifice and service to others, sports fans love to turn on the TV and immerse themselves in an exciting, suspenseful contest for no purpose other than their own personal enjoyment.

In a world of life-and-death conflicts, spectator sports give us a “time-out” — an opportunity to relax and celebrate human skill, dedication, and success in a spirit of simple joy.

Thomas A. Bowden practices law in Baltimore, Maryland, and is a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute in Marina del Rey, Calif. The Institute promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. www.aynrand.org

-- eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), January 11, 2001

Answers

Would that this be the whole story. It's true that we are starved for heroes. It's also true that many athletes are heroic as individuals and as teams.

Trouble is that money has corrupted much of sport---multi-million dollar contracts arrived at by expensive lawyers after extended hold-outs; endorsement deals worth millions more to hype products that some kids kill for; ticket prices so high that working-class are priced out; etc.

Even worse, the pressure to excel causes abusive use of anabolic steroids. The pressure to win creates tolerance of some player's criminality--rape, gambling, spousal abuse, substance abuse and even murder. The drunken, foul-mouthed behavior of some of the fans deters family attendance even if they could afford it.

Yeah, I am a part of the problem. Come Super Bowl Sunday I will watch the game and the $2 million/minute ads. I will drink the beer that pays for the spectacle. I will marvel at the athletic ability of Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper (I am predicting the Vikings to win) and, if the game is dramatic, I will indulge vicariously in the thrill of victory or the agony of de feet.

But I will not rejoice as idealistically as Mr Thomas A Bowden of Ballamer, MD.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 11, 2001.

The thing about live sports that I appreciate the most is that it is a totally unscripted drama. Yes, I am naive enough to believe that most games are not "fixed" by gambling interests (including shaving the point spread). Does anyone want to disabuse me of that last shred of idealism?

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 11, 2001.

For me, being a spectator cannot hold a candle to participation. I love competition, testing my skills, pushing limits of mental acuity and physical ability with pain and threat of injury lurking in every hit, every jump, twist and turn. Adrenaline rushes, strategy on the fly – which is why I am partial to basketball with its nearly nonstop action. Creative juices flow. Depth perception and peripheral vision, hand-eye coordination, strength, stamina, agility all shifting levels throughout the contest.

Football in particular drew my interest due to the hitting involved on both sides of the ball. As a running back I loved to stiff arm an oncoming defensive back, break a tackle, always keeping my feet moving just in case the defender did not stay with the tackle, or at the very least to gain that extra piece of territory. Putting shoulder pad to sternum created a sensation within me that is difficult to describe. When it resulted in my knocking an opponent on his keyster, the sense of superiority rushed in. When the opponent failed to budge, my heart sank down just a little. But the knowledge that I needed to spin off him next time instead of running through him sank into my mind as well.

Football brings with it the smell of the turf – and the taste of it on occasion. I could not wait to get my clean uniform dirty! A blood stain brought a quick check of my body. No matter who’s blood it was, the sight of it heightened my drive to break the other's spirit, to defeat him in mind and body, thereby making the game one of man vs. boy.

My playing experiences were limited to pick up games and organized teams through two years of high school only. But as you can see, twenty years have done little to pale the memories. Perhaps the years have served to add a little color to them. ;)

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), January 11, 2001.

Lars, my high school football team won the state championship in 1982. I had dropped out of school and was not part of that victorious season. Yet I regularly partied with a number of the players on that team. One player from that team, Tony Siragusa, plays in the NFL. The usage of amphetamines was pretty widespread by the players. I never used them and would not have done so no matter the peer pressure. But the pressure to win is strong at all levels of competition. Gaining an edge chemically may not be sportsmanly activity, but it nonetheless occurs often and at a great price to the health of the players who do so.

It's called selling your soul to increase the odds of victory (or of a fat paycheck). Not my idea of good decision-making, but we all sell- out in some form or another. For me to be overly critical of steroid users or my buddies who used amphetamines would be hypocritical.

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), January 11, 2001.

NOTE: My comments above in no way are meant to reflect that Tony Siragusa used drugs of any kind. I have every reason to believe he played clean.

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), January 11, 2001.

Good article, but I believe the satisfaction one derives from watching football goes much deeper than what Mr Bowden described. Rather than merely illustrating the process of human goal- achievement, I believe football satisfies a much more primitive part of the brain. It's the blood 'n guts physical aspects of the game that holds our attention. Rather than merely inviting us to take pleasure in our "capacity for admiration", football reaches out to our caveman mentality and invites us to take pleasure in watching "our" clan bash-in the heads of "their" clan.

I suspect Mr Bowden would also propose the appeal of watching NASCAR lies in the fans appreciation of high performance engineering, driving skill and refueling strategy. The rest of us however, know the real attraction lies in the potential for deadly crashes. Once again, it's that stroking of the primitive brain thing.

Lars- What a great name for a Viking fan! (And no, I don't think you need to feel naive in your belief that the games aren't fixed.)

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), January 11, 2001.

Rich--

The "goose" played here at Indy before he went to the Ravens. He was a fan favorite.

I hope my rant didn't come off as anti-jock. I never played team athletics and am sure that I missed something important.

But, since I'm yapping again, I'll add a few things that I forgot the before. First is the pressure on localities to support pro teams when they want to build new stadiums or else they might just move on ala Baltimore Colts, LA Rams, Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns. Now that the Colts are competitive, there are rumbles that ownership wants a new stadium even tho the present dome is only 15 years old. The Pacers just got a fancy new home last year courtesy of the city.

I also think that organized youth athletics has gone too far in pressuring immature kids to win.

Finally, I retract my blanket statement that athletics are unscripted. I forgot about WWF.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 11, 2001.

CD--

Interesting and amusing insights. I think you are partly right, but only partly. Not too many people truly want to see athletes get seriously injured or killed. And many folks appreciate the beauty and perfection of athletic movements especially as they become less able to do such things themselves. I enjoy modern dance for the same reasons.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 11, 2001.

Upon reading the essay the following jumped out at me:

Different athletes display different virtues — one performs well under pressure, another shows consistent excellence despite advancing age, a third publicly takes pride in his accomplishments

The portion in bold, I assume, refers to the celebrations which take place after each play in the NFL. The chest thumping, arm waving, 'look at me I'm the bomb' displays which make my skin crawl. These actions are not virtuous in my play book. They are instead the antics of insecure little boys who search for their self-worth outside themselves, and must have the adulation of others. Now.

There's an adage, which I paraphrase below, which was drummed into me at an early age and I am thankful for it:

"When you score a touchdown, drive in the winning run, make two free throws late in the fourth quarter - act as if you've done it before AND will do it again. Let the accomplishment speak for itself."

Trash talk has in the past and probably always will play a part in athletics competition. It serves a purpose in that it can distract your opponent from the task at hand - service to the team, pursuit of victory. I dropped the practice while playing Little League Baseball - much to the consternation of my coaches. I think it is a tool born of a win at all cost mentality. It's bad sportsmanship in my book.

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), January 11, 2001.

Not too many people truly want to see athletes get seriously injured or killed.

I would agree with you on that, Lars. However, short of serious injury or death, ya gotta admit that football fans just love watching an opponent get knocked outta his jock. Or, as "Grog" the caveman would say; Pain good. Pain fun to watch. - Death not good. Death scare me.

And many folks appreciate the beauty and perfection of athletic movements especially as they become less able to do such things themselves.

This causes me to wonder if this might be a major contributing factor as to why many people do not enjoy watching football. To what extent does the fact that they may not have an appreciation for the physical skills involved enter into their lack of enjoyment? Much of the enjoyment I get from watching sports is in knowing the difficulty involved in performing the required actions. Had I not played sports, I would not be able to experience the thrill I get in watching a well turned double play or a finger-tip diving catch. Had I not played the game, I might have felt these exceptional things to be merely "routine" and maybe even "boring". Hmm... Just thinking out loud.

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), January 11, 2001.

Rich

I can't stand the showboating either!! I've always told the kids I've coached - act like you've done it before (unless, of course, it really was their 1st touchdown or 1st homerun).

When I see a grown man acting like that.........geez.....

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), January 11, 2001.

I totally agree with you, Rich. The chest thumping, arm waving, 'look at me I'm the bomb' displays also make my skin crawl. Act like you've been there before!

I was glad to see the NFL install the "no celebrations" rule a couple years back. Of course, about half the fans I know feel differently. They liked the "show" and after the rule change they started calling the NFL the No Fun League.

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), January 11, 2001.

One thing that never gets mentioned is how hard these people work, and the sacrifices they made to try to be good at their sport. I know, baseball training camp isn't exactly the Gulag, but keep in mind that these people have been at it since age 10, or younger. We see them on TV in a moment of excellence. Years of preparation lead up to that.

In the case of Moss, he was born lucky. But he would have never been truly great if he didn't work at it. Cris Carter has a kind of training camp in Florida every year, and that's where Moss learned that running precise routes is more important than even speed in the NFL. He learned about mental preparation, and that's what a lot of high school coaches try to teach to boys and girls. And that's a great thing.

One of the best sports-related events in my home state is the advent of girls high-school hockey. Where I grew up, there was always this sister of someone who would go out on the rink in her figure skates and score on you. Now that girl can put on hockey skates and do what her brother does (and her parents get to be doubly proud.)

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), January 11, 2001.

Excellent point, Bemused.

-- Rich (howe9@shentel.net), January 11, 2001.

For those who appreciate excellence, few settings in life provide as satisfying a vehicle for witnessing excellence as does a sporting event between well matched opponents.

For a sport in which the players compete against a standard (golf or bowling, for example), I find that I can appreciate the play even not knowing the players. There are exceptions, e.g., curling.

For the "direct confrontation" sports, I enjoy them much less if I know neither the sport nor the players/teams well, for then it's hard to tell if one side is doing really well or the other is just screwing up.

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), January 11, 2001.

Hey now David, don't dis curling!! You think it's easy to sweep that little broom really really fast when everyone's laughing at you?!? Think that's easy?!? I didn't think so.

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), January 12, 2001.

Bemused, the sport(?) is indeed fortunate to have a connoisseur(?!?) such as yourself to speak out on its behalf. You did however, omit the scraping.

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), January 12, 2001.

Here's Philosophy for ya. The Vikings had a myth...all great warriors went to Valhalla, carried by the Valkarie off the battle field they lay dead in. They stayed in Valhalla, eating and drinking and telling stories, until the final battle came. It was called Ragnarock. Then, they battled their worst enemies..The Gods they refered to as The Giants. No lie my friends...The Giants win in the myth...and come Sunday... RAGNAROCK WILL RULE!

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), January 12, 2001.

Clever, kritter.

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), January 13, 2001.

So... when do the Valkarie's show up? And will they be wearing those metalic bustiers like I see in the drawings?

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), January 13, 2001.

Kritter--

Your knowledge of Norse mythology is impressive. May Loki take a likin' to ya.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001.

Now I'm curious about Loki of Norse mythology, because I recall an operating system which I used while an undergraduate (DEC TOPS-20, I think) having a command by that name. I don't remember what the command did, but it must have been something dangerous because when my roommate invoked it he got a stern warning from a systems administrator not to do it again.

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), January 13, 2001.