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| Ohio State vs. Michigan |
This Saturday was the notorious
Ohio State vs Michigan football game, which took place in Colombus, Ohio at the
Ohio State Stadium. The rivalry, which began in 1935, is the biggest in the Big
10, and is much awaited every season for the purposes of gaining bragging
rights and a sense of superiority over an entire group of people. Unfortunately,
Michigan lost 26-21 to Ohio State, causing a great deal of pain and
embarrassment for me in the sports bar that I was watching the game in that
happened to have a few rowdy Buckeyes present.
Everyone knows about sports culture
– painting faces, screaming, getting in fights – but football still seems to be
different. There is more intensity and less humanly concern for others during
this game. This is because when people watch football, they are essentially
watching people put their own lives on the line for the sake of the game. In
other sports, people certainly get hurt, but in football, when people get hurt,
it means being body slammed by a 300-pound man and probably a few others.
Football is known for having a high incidence of brain injury and brain
fatalities, something that not only could put a career on hold, but could
paralyze someone and cause them to be dysfunctional for the rest of their
lives. In a civil society, this seems pretty barbaric when you really think
about it.
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| Head injuries can have fatal consequences |
This New York Times article
discusses the implications of these brain injuries. The journal Neurology
recently published a study of former NFL players and their brains, and found
that people who had played pro football were three to four times more likely
than the rest of us to battle and die from a brain disorder like Alzheimer’s or
Parkinson’s. Some former NFL players have committed suicide because of their
brain injuries and how they impacted their lives, while others still try to
continue to play football even while they are concussed. This all strikes me as
quite chilling, because not even all of these players necessarily had a
prominent brain injury that caused their eventual suffering, just playing in
the game and maybe getting a few minor concussions is enough to increase their
chances of suffering later on. While I pondered this after the loss on
Saturday, I thought of our recent reading of Jean Jacques Rousseau and his
state of nature that he describes in his Discourse
on the Orgin of Inequality.
In the Discourse, Rousseau discusses his version of the state of nature.
The way Rousseau describes it, people lived purely out of self-interest and
survival prior to the creation of civil society. Civil society, or the
formation of laws, government, and bodies of people, was created in part out of
a love and pity for our fellow humans that psychologically imbedded itself into
our wiring as human beings, and in part a love for ourselves. From this, the
idea of family came into being, and love itself, according to Rousseau.
The reason I thought of this while
thinking about football as a sport was because football seems oddly out of
place in the civil society that resulted from humans developing respect and
care for each other, because if we really cared, how could we watch people
smash their heads together while diving for a ball and be excited that it
wasn’t our guy who got knocked out of the way?
I think that there must still be
some element of pre-civilized society humans in each of us somewhere that
allows us to scream in joy when a Buckeye eats Astroturf during the Michigan-
Ohio State game. Otherwise, this game would be a twinge of guilt from the past,
and not a highly commercialized, extremely popular sport. If this were not the
case, then our civil society would most likely be perfect, because if we didn’t
have the stomach to watch football, it would mean that our compassion ran so
deep that the idea of hurting another person is inconceivable to us, and
therefore the problems of society would be cured, as people would be completely
turned away from harming their fellow people in any way, shape, or form. While
Rousseau was right about the development of love between humans, humanity still
has a long way to go before barbaric rituals such as football are gone.
However, these rituals could very well be a much needed outlet until we reach
the point of full compassion.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDaisy,
ReplyDeleteI thought this was an interesting article and you certainly brought up some valid points. Having played football my whole life, I can attest that it is a violent game with frequent minor injuries as well as the possibility of further more serious injuries that can result from concussions, spinal injuries, etc. While all levels of football- professional, college, high school and youth, have made an effort to make the game safer, it remains dangerous especially to those who are uneducated about the fundamentals (tackling with your head up to prevent neck injuries, for example). Additionally, avoiding injury is becoming increasingly difficult due to the fact that players are bigger, stronger, and faster now than ever before. However, while players may not seemingly be acting in their self-interest by playing, due to exposure to injury, most who play may feel as if they are. It all depends on who's perspective you are looking at the issue from, but for many players, the realities of a free college education, praise, fame, and the satisfaction they get from playing may outweigh the downside of injury. Due to these factors, I believe many players are acting in their own self-interest by choosing to play.
Daisy,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post, and I, too, was very disappointed watching the wolverines succumb to the buckeyes this past Saturday. Your post got me to thinking about the true nature of NCAA football and whether it really is such a barbaric game that encompasses values of the state of nature. I, however, disagree with your interpretation.
Like you said, Rousseau states that civil society was "created in part out of a love and pity for our fellow humans that psychologically imbedded itself into our wiring as human beings and in part a love for ourselves." Rousseau does not assert that self-interest in going to obsolete in a civil society, so obviously we are going to cheer for our team to win the game. The ultimate goal of the football game is not to injure the other team, but to score more points, and it is not uncivilized for us to cheer for a victor. Seeing an opponent get injured is never any reason to cheer, and this situation is exemplified every time a football player goes down. As a sign of respect, love, and I would argue, civilized society, the stadium goes silent and the players stop playing when an injury occurs (skip to 30s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgfZYw6RUeI) . When the injured player arises there is a universal round of applause between both teams. Additionally, if an injury is more serious, players from both teams will often gather at midfield after the game and join in prayer. Football is a game of competition, and I do not believe that this constitutes self-interest as you argue in this post. By subscribing to a conference, such as the B1G, SEC, or Big 12, and also a general governing body, the NCAA, teams are ridding themselves of self-interest. Each team is held to the same standards and must obey these laws if they want to remain in the game of football. Because of these facts, I do not believe players and, more generally, football teams are acting in their own self-interest by choosing to play a game that is violent by nature.
Daisy,
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of football standing as an uncivilized event in our modern society is a very valid claim. When I read your post, I began to think about the similarities between football and the gladiatorial games held in the ancient classical world. No, the NFL is not a death match between opponents. However, the two events parallel each other very well. You presented the idea that it is strange that we can profess believes of love and compassion yet still cheer for a player on a different team to get hurt. I think this is because of the mentality of the mob (the fans). By screaming along with the other 115,000 fans in the Big House when one of the Wolverines makes a big hit, we are shielding our compassion behind the wall of accepted practice. In such a case, I am not responsible personally for what happened to the other player, so why should I feel bad. Furthermore, the player that caused such harm to his opponent probably has a mentality along the lines of,"My coaches tell me to do this, and everyone wants to see me play well so it is fine." Because of this, the brutality of football is totally justified in the eyes of the fans and players. Back to the sports parallels with the gladiators, I think the Romans had the same mindset that we have today. You might make the argument that they were barbaric societies and it was therefore accepted. However, the Romans are historically one of the most civilized Empires of all time. That being said I think that reverting back to a seemingly barbaric mindset is natural in confined areas of sport, such as football and the gladiatorial games.
I really liked your essay. I thought you did a good job drawing connections between our attitude towards football and Rousseau's understanding of the state of nature.
Daisy,
ReplyDeleteAnyone who hears the words Ohio State and Michigan in the same sentence immediately brings to mind an intense rivalry, one that has attracted national interest over the last four decades and has been occurring on an annual basis since 1937. Watching this recent football game was indeed a painful one, with Ohio State barely escaping with a victory and 20-26 win to those things, those nuts (Buckeyes), down south. I was disappointed in the Wolverines performance in the second half, but what is done is done. Hopefully next year the Michiganders can wipe the smirk off of Ohio’s face.
But regardless of my disappointment in the Wolverines, it does not surprise me that these football players develop drain disorders in their lives. With years and years of thrashing bodies, crashing helmets and getting slammed to the ground it will eventually take its toll on the mind. But like you said in your post, I think the attraction of football is it brings out this primordial feeling in all of us. Rousseau’s theory of the state of nature views the natural state of man as survival and self-interest. Our ancestors had to fight for their lives to survive and we can see this in football. Where athletes risk getting smashed to pieces (not literally of course) just to get to the end zone and prove one team superior to the other. Brutality is constantly rewarded, if the enemy team’s quarterback is sacked and thrown to the ground the other team roars in applause and approval. The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has been a process in the making for many years, with our hatred (from what some believe) is routed in the Toledo war (Follow the link to learn more about it).
Overall you did a very good job with this blog post. This is very interesting and relevant to Michigan students and makes for one great post. Also, I thought it was clever how you were able to tie in the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality by Rousseau and the harsh nature of American football. But I believe you could have even begun to talk about the morality of football, like Daniel previously stated, because it brings an interesting perspective into a sort of Mob mentality into football. But regardless I really enjoyed the post.
Daisy-
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your article and was also disappointed with the outcome of Saturday's crucial game between two great teams. In saying that though, I can not entirely agree with your statement. Arguably, football is a sport where athletes who are a little different then most compete, with physical and mental attributes that vary from the average person. That does not make them barbaric or uncivilized though. In early history, these actions performed during a football game would most definitely be considered savagery, but in today's society, it is merely a sport that allows for aggression and competition. There is no fight over a female or a meal at stake, it is simply a sport that provides entertainment. In previous posts, when an individual gets hurt there is not one person who is ultimately cheering and thankful. The entire facility and audience is silenced in shock and passion. The sport is not there to provide injury, but it is there to allow persons to excel in an activity that provides them the best success. Rousseau discusses the state of nature and how "people lived purely out of self-interest and survival prior to the creation of civil society." But, those were the days where humans were savages and trying to live off of the success of their own through entitlement and savagery. Now, humans have established that civilized society and there is no longer a form of savagery. Compassion is filled within the sport of Football and even though I believe your article was very well though out and prepared, I do have to disagree.
Kyle
Daisy-
ReplyDeleteBeing a huge sports fan, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post besides the fact that it reminded me of the devastating loss, but I guess I’ll blame it on the team and not you. While I think your post definitely ties Rousseau’s beliefs to the game of football when you say “people lived purely out of self-interest and survival” as players do on the field, it forgets to mention that Rousseau inherently thinks our state of nature is one of freedom and equality. While we don’t see this freedom to move around the field without the opposition trying to stop you, I believe that often we seem to forget that sports is inherently rooted in equality in which, while a winner and a loser are declared, sports have always incorporated the shaking of hands following games. While this may seem like it doesn’t make up for the broken arms or concussions caused while on the field, I think it’s important to recognize that Rousseau’s beliefs are directly in line with the game of football’s ability to bring people into harmony, not simply its gruesome nature. While one may ask, “How does fighting on the field bring people into harmony?” it is important to recognize that the Super Bowl generates more viewers than any other television program throughout the year. Therefore while fans may support different teams at any given time, the fact that we are all drawn and united to the game of football is an important key to remembering that sports can and does reaffirm Rousseau’s state of nature, in more ways than a tackle can substantiate.
Thanks for the read!
-Brennan
Daisy, this issue of football players dealing with a barrage of post-career injuries is definitely something I've heard of before. I think that problems like this might eventually lead to some kind of toning down of the roughness of the sport or a possible suggested limit on how long players should play in college or the NFL, etc. Also, I can definitely empathize with how you felt when you talked about feeling uncomfortable in the bar with Buckeye fans. I traveled to Columbus for that game with the Michigan Marching Band and we got multiple people telling us we were the number one band with the wrong finger, if you catch my drift. I feel like a lot of that mentality to hate OSU if you go to Michigan and vice versa is mostly a product of social pressures. I honestly hadn't even heard of Ohio State and could've cared less about it before I came to school here.
ReplyDeleteAlso, with regard to your question of why we enjoy violent sports such as football, I think that the answer is mostly that we, as humans, find things that like to be an extremely exciting escape from an otherwise rather dull society. This is why many people, for example, enjoy violent video games. They mimic the Rousseau's conception of the state of nature in that you can feel like a badass hunting down some helpless guy in a virtual reality. I've played video games in which Rousseau's state of nature is almost perfectly mimicked. For example, one game I've played was set in a post-apocalyptic America in which there were no laws and you could basically kill, steal, and do whatever you wanted. You just acted based on your self-interests and need to survive - just as Rousseau put it. Also consider that, if we compare our current society to ancient Rome, in which spectators were enertained by viewing gladiators kill each other for sport in the Colosseum - we are certainly much more "progressive".
I found the topic of your post naturally interesting as a lifelong football fan. Player safety is at the forefront of NFL Commisionner Roger Goodell's mind. Enforcement of illegal head to head contact, late hits, personal fouls, and the like has been increased thoroughly as it seems like every week a player gets fined for an excessive penalty. Mandatory concussion testing following injury to the head has become an integral part in the betterment of player safety, as an early diagnosis is crucial to the long term health of players. However, football remains a violent sport with the evidence available in any game you watch. The nature of the game is brutal and barbaric, as you battle against opponent.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't think violent sports like football and ultimate fighting are going to go away on the basis that people should care for each other. These athletes often devote all of their life in training, practicing, and playing in order to excel at their respective sports. They make personal sacrifices to perform at the highest level. I think the main reason violent sports will go away in contemporary society is because of the profitability that comes with being a professional athlete. Players are capable of achieving multimillion dollar contracts both with the teams they play for and the products they advertise through sponsorship. As long as this possibility of material success remains present as a product of professional sports, people will be willing to sacrifice anything to achieve greatness and I don't think its any of our right to stop them from doing so.