Chapter 4: The Sports Industrial Complex
Chapter 4: The Sports Industrial Complex
Debunking is a difficult standpoint to take on anything. James Randi, founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), exposed the fraudulent activities of many individuals pretending to have psychic powers and even to this day the JREF has a million dollar prize for anyone who can display an honest feat of psychic power, yet Randi was very precise. He stated that he was not a debunker, he was an investigator.
Therefore, it is tempting to write debunking pieces on many of these conspiracy theories, yet perhaps when it comes to something such as the Sports-Industrial Complex, it will take the form of an alternative stance.
The Sports-Industrial Complex is a block of theories that contains the following tenets.
1. Professional sports exist to distract the general public away from other worldly issues.
2. Prior to the invention of television sports were primarily for children, not adults.
and
3. Professional athletes are paid an enormous amount to fund this giant circus-like distraction.
Point 1:
Noam Chomsky made a strong statement on professional sports, and to paraphrase...
"if you listen to a call in radio show on sports, someone can give precise, articulate, and informed responses, yet when individuals from the general public have to discuss international affairs, their statements are superficial."
What this fails to understand is that, for starters sports are more entertaining than international politics TV. Perhaps, they have a higher chance of holding a viewers attention span. In the more important sense, individuals from all over the world grow up watching sports, whether it is football(soccer) being the most popular sport in the world to the Olympics to the any of the major super leagues in the world. What is more entertaining: watching a 3 hour speech on economic development or the NFL playoffs? Or even if you choose economic development, which would be more entertaining to the average American? ... This is not the product of social engineering. This is just being human.
Next, the games are televised, recorded, and available to the general public, whereas the actions of world leaders often take place behind closed doors. Yes, there are public events held at the United Nations, and a president does make a state of the union address; however, the viewers do not always know what is transpiring behind the closed doors and what the secret intentions of the politicians actually are. International politics require years of close study to understand what is going on in the world to understand the motivations of the world leaders. To reiterate, we grow up watching sports. We do not grow up watching the Council on Foreign Relations. It is not some vast conspiracy. It is the course of human development.
Point 2:
Prior to the invention of the television, sports were for children, not adults.
This is a real statement that has been spread around on the internet. To break free from some of the shackles of traditional academic criticism. This is just ridiculous.
Major League Baseball played it's first season in 1876. George Hall was the first Home Run King, whomping a total of 5 home runs over the far fences. It would be decades before an individual such as Babe Ruth reinvented the course of long ball home run hitting into the power hit-fest that is today. Even prior to the MLB, Candy Cummings (an adult mind you) is credited with inventing the curve ball in 1867.
Other examples prior to the invention of television of adults involved with sports are the NCAA collegiate leagues which were well-developed in the 1800s and gave us the first professional football player, Pudge Heffelfinger in 1892 who played a game for a secretive pay of $500.00.
Not to mention the revival of the Olympics in 1896, which drew adults from all over the world. Even to go back even further. The Ancient Greeks hosted their Olympic games. Were those run and organized by children or adults? Also, ancient Central Americans had their own sports involved in play to the death style gamesmanship.
Sports have been for adults as long as there have been sports.
Point 3:
Professional athletes are paid an enormous amount to fund the circus-like distraction.
In 1982, the average NFL player made $95,000 a year. This has grown into the millions as of the new millennium. Why are professional athletes paid so much? Because sports leagues draw in an enormous amount of money? Why do they have money? Because they are entertaining to watch.
This is not some intricate conspiracy theory of government manipulation. These events happened this way as humanity developed. This has been likened by Bill Cooper to the Romans bringing in the circus to distract protesters from challenging the government. That is just not the case. Sports would have become popular anyway. In fact, they already were as for the previously mentioned points of sports leagues existing prior to television, the Ancient Olympics, and even collegiate sports.
There is no conspiracy theory related to the Sports-Industrial Complex. Sports became more popular because of inventions such as radio and television, but that is simply because it became easier to watch them. Sports are entertaining. No one is disputing that, but they are not part of some massive government distraction plan. This is just the course of human development and contemporary culture.
As for things such as advertising in sports, the military paying the NFL to host patriotic half time shows, and the enormous amount of money made. Sports have an enormous audience, it is the prime place for advertising, such as the Super Bowl and its excellent commercials. If you want to reach a large audience display your message at a sporting event, but that does not make it a conspiracy. Conspiracies are all about hiding the truth. Here, the truth is in plain sight.
Debunking is a difficult standpoint to take on anything. James Randi, founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), exposed the fraudulent activities of many individuals pretending to have psychic powers and even to this day the JREF has a million dollar prize for anyone who can display an honest feat of psychic power, yet Randi was very precise. He stated that he was not a debunker, he was an investigator.
Therefore, it is tempting to write debunking pieces on many of these conspiracy theories, yet perhaps when it comes to something such as the Sports-Industrial Complex, it will take the form of an alternative stance.
The Sports-Industrial Complex is a block of theories that contains the following tenets.
1. Professional sports exist to distract the general public away from other worldly issues.
2. Prior to the invention of television sports were primarily for children, not adults.
and
3. Professional athletes are paid an enormous amount to fund this giant circus-like distraction.
Point 1:
Noam Chomsky made a strong statement on professional sports, and to paraphrase...
"if you listen to a call in radio show on sports, someone can give precise, articulate, and informed responses, yet when individuals from the general public have to discuss international affairs, their statements are superficial."
What this fails to understand is that, for starters sports are more entertaining than international politics TV. Perhaps, they have a higher chance of holding a viewers attention span. In the more important sense, individuals from all over the world grow up watching sports, whether it is football(soccer) being the most popular sport in the world to the Olympics to the any of the major super leagues in the world. What is more entertaining: watching a 3 hour speech on economic development or the NFL playoffs? Or even if you choose economic development, which would be more entertaining to the average American? ... This is not the product of social engineering. This is just being human.
Next, the games are televised, recorded, and available to the general public, whereas the actions of world leaders often take place behind closed doors. Yes, there are public events held at the United Nations, and a president does make a state of the union address; however, the viewers do not always know what is transpiring behind the closed doors and what the secret intentions of the politicians actually are. International politics require years of close study to understand what is going on in the world to understand the motivations of the world leaders. To reiterate, we grow up watching sports. We do not grow up watching the Council on Foreign Relations. It is not some vast conspiracy. It is the course of human development.
Point 2:
Prior to the invention of the television, sports were for children, not adults.
This is a real statement that has been spread around on the internet. To break free from some of the shackles of traditional academic criticism. This is just ridiculous.
Major League Baseball played it's first season in 1876. George Hall was the first Home Run King, whomping a total of 5 home runs over the far fences. It would be decades before an individual such as Babe Ruth reinvented the course of long ball home run hitting into the power hit-fest that is today. Even prior to the MLB, Candy Cummings (an adult mind you) is credited with inventing the curve ball in 1867.
Other examples prior to the invention of television of adults involved with sports are the NCAA collegiate leagues which were well-developed in the 1800s and gave us the first professional football player, Pudge Heffelfinger in 1892 who played a game for a secretive pay of $500.00.
Not to mention the revival of the Olympics in 1896, which drew adults from all over the world. Even to go back even further. The Ancient Greeks hosted their Olympic games. Were those run and organized by children or adults? Also, ancient Central Americans had their own sports involved in play to the death style gamesmanship.
Sports have been for adults as long as there have been sports.
Point 3:
Professional athletes are paid an enormous amount to fund the circus-like distraction.
In 1982, the average NFL player made $95,000 a year. This has grown into the millions as of the new millennium. Why are professional athletes paid so much? Because sports leagues draw in an enormous amount of money? Why do they have money? Because they are entertaining to watch.
This is not some intricate conspiracy theory of government manipulation. These events happened this way as humanity developed. This has been likened by Bill Cooper to the Romans bringing in the circus to distract protesters from challenging the government. That is just not the case. Sports would have become popular anyway. In fact, they already were as for the previously mentioned points of sports leagues existing prior to television, the Ancient Olympics, and even collegiate sports.
There is no conspiracy theory related to the Sports-Industrial Complex. Sports became more popular because of inventions such as radio and television, but that is simply because it became easier to watch them. Sports are entertaining. No one is disputing that, but they are not part of some massive government distraction plan. This is just the course of human development and contemporary culture.
As for things such as advertising in sports, the military paying the NFL to host patriotic half time shows, and the enormous amount of money made. Sports have an enormous audience, it is the prime place for advertising, such as the Super Bowl and its excellent commercials. If you want to reach a large audience display your message at a sporting event, but that does not make it a conspiracy. Conspiracies are all about hiding the truth. Here, the truth is in plain sight.