File spoon-archives/marxism.archive/marxism_1996/96-06-marxism/96-06-26.161, message 325


Date: 25 Jun 96 23:21:18 EDT
From: Jon Flanders <72763.2240-AT-compuserve.com>
Subject: Reply to: Re: Sports


I've said this before, but anyway.

  I see sports as the male worker's substitute for politics. When I hear
teams, managers, individual figures capabilities, and general strategic
questions being discussed by a group of workers, I am convinced again that
they are capable of serious thought on political questions.

  Since the penalties for involving oneself in the political world can be
quite high for  a worker, sporting questions provide a safe outlet for energy
that might be directed against the ruling class.

   Of course, the capitalists are only too happy to provide 57 channels of the
stuff on cable.

   Since most women don't share this interest, they have more time to notice
the general deterioration around them. Hence the gender gap.

   Occasionally I will go on a break room rant about sports and pornography
being the moderm opium of the people. One of my co-workers will chuckle and
say, "Ok comrade, we hear you." They know me pretty well by now.

   My lack of knowledge of English football is quite complete. My knowledge of
steroid driven US football in its current version is little better.

   I guess I should stick to teaching my seven year old how to catch a
baseball. Or monitoring the Malecki-Olaechea ping pong match live on the
Internet.

 Jon Flanders

  E-mail from: Jonathan E. Flanders, 25-Jun-1996




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