Week 2 Flashcards
According to Lasch, what was the classical conception of sport?
Basically, in ancient Greece sport was something like good art. It was uncorrupted by the bad things from the outside world, but full of important lessons about the outside world.
According to Lasch, what was the 1800s conception of sport?
The hoity toity saw sport as a debauched practice of the working class - it needed to be controlled. It simply amounted to a way to celebrate our most animal instincs and habits.
According to Lasch, what was the early 1900s conception of sport?
Governemnt accepted that sport couldn’t be elimintated as colonialism grew and tried to use sport to further their own ends. govenment highlighted sports’ role in nation building; instill will to win, make warlike leaders.
According to Lasch, what’s wrong with the current conception of sport?
It’s a form of entertainment and escapism, completely seperate from out actual lives.
According to Lasch, what mistake did the 1970s left-wing radicals make?
Incorrectly viewed sport as a ‘mirror reflection’ of society that indoctrinates the young with dominant values. They incorrectly though sport was going to increase militarism, authoritarianism, racism, sexim, etc.
How does Lasch respond to the claim that the problem with sports today is that people take them too seriously?
Not true, he says that in order for people to take sports more seriously they have to stop worrying about money and focus on athletic excellence. Athletes should have respect for rules, and fans to treat venues as sacred.
Why does Lasch think that it’s impossible for sports to ultimately succeed as a form of escapism?
Treating it as an escape turns sport into a commodity, which then becomes a part of life you’re trying to escape.
Morgan claims that there are two sorts of crises in contemporary American sports. What are those two sorts of crises?
- moral crisis: athletes, agents, owners are narcissistic and greedy for money and slefish
- crisis in quality: it’s worse than it once was
One can measure excellence by regular season win-loss record, or one can measure excellence by ‘last team standing’ at the end of the playoffs. According to Morgan, which conception of excellence measures TRUE excellence and why is that the case? Why does Morgan think that the American public consistently equate ‘excellence’ with the wrong thing?
TRUE excellence = regular season win-loss record
Because network, owners, players, can make a lot of money off of playoffs
According to Morgan, how does the possibility of big endorsement money contribute to selfish individualism among athletes?
it pays to be greedy, it pays to stand out, it pays to hog the limelight
Why does Morgan think that TV broadcasting causes sports to become less sophisticated? Why does Morgan think that TV broadcasting causes sports to be played in less-than-ideal circumstances? Give examples.
TV shows the game to parts of the country that don’t understand the game - the unsophisticated viewers only understand the show - the razzle dazzle
According to Morgan, what’s good about free agency? What’s bad about free agency?
Good: players aren’t bound by one team their whole career
Bad: it changes owners view of player to how much money player can make the team
Why does Morgan talk about Latrell Sprewell?
He choked and threatened his coach - and it was forgotten about once he was playing good
According to Morgan, what is one of the primary ‘civic functions’ of sports? In what way do high ticket prices erode away that civic function?
race and class mixing doesn’t occur enough because it’s too expensive for everyone to then attend every game. Furthermore, fans are on the ‘outside’ of the team
