Most of you reading this will probably be in my Press in America class, but just in case any strays find this blog, let me explain its purpose. We were assigned to create a semester-long blog in order to respond to various aspects of the media, using the theories we've learned, such as the libertarian theory, or different terms, such as deep ecology, to help explain our relationship to the world through the media lens.
In attempt to be creative, I decided to theme my blog around football and alcohol (though not every post will relate to these topics) because these are two entities in American media and culture that, in a way, represent us. Football is the new American sport, and alcohol is one of our oldest pastimes. Also, I happen to be a fan of both these things, and therefore want to focus on them in order to investigate why I, like many other Americans, am so attracted to watching people hit each other and intoxicating myself in order to have fun. WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE? Hopefully, throughout the course of the semester I will discover that, or at least gain some headway.
But first, let me explain my reason for choosing this blog. It all started last Sunday night, October 4, when I was sitting at my kitchen table, drinking some Labatt Blues (classy, I know) and watched the Giants/Bears game on Sunday Night Football. First let me admit, I am a Jet fan, but root for both New York teams (I was raised a Giant fan but eventually learned the correct path), and watching the Sunday Night Game is something me and my housemates usually do, especially if the matchup is good. But unlike any other Sunday game, the Sunday Night Football game is the worst; it airs on NBC, 8:20 p.m. (prime-time), it's catch phrase is "Football Night in America", and worst of all, every half time is full of two minutes of Bob Costas explaining a new phenomenon (if you even want to call it that) that's "hot" during that week in the NFL.
The latter of these three might be the worst.
See, Bob Costas represents my main issue with football. I'll admit, I like the hits, the excitement, the fact that these athletes are supermen, and the fact that they play once a week. But i'm not a brute-headed fan; I played football throughout my life, up in junior year in high school, and was always fascinated by the complexity of it. Good football, to me, is an art, like any other kind of sport performed at a very high level. Did you know that most football teams spend most of the time each week in the film room, studying tapes and thinking of strategies, thinking of every possibility for every formation, personal, and filed situation? They may be brutes, but in order to be a good football player, you need more than brawn.
But back to Bob Costas -- why do I need to listen to this schmo' tell my about the severity of quarterback concussions, or have him make a big deal about Donovan McNabb (ex. QB of the Philadelphia Eagles) returning to play his former team with the Washington Redskins, with Costas telling me the background like it was some soap opera? (Donovan McNabb, the one who would be most affected by the situation, is actually unfazed about the Hollywood aspect of his situation). Why does Sunday Night have to be Football Night in America?
"Hey kids, gather round the television!"
There's dad, beer in hand, the only one paying attention to the pre-game show.
Mom, running around making pigs in a blanket, chips n dip, serving her family faithfully, cuddling up next to Daddy, his arm around her, her trying to figure out what all these yellow flags mean.
Lil' Billy, wearing his jersey, only 10, can't wait for the game, a big hit, wants to talk to his friends all about it tomorrow before recess starts and they have a little game of their own.
Susie, two years older, in it for Sheryl Crow's weekly edition of "Are you ready for some football?" which is the same song NBC's been showing for the last several years, only for Sheryl Crow to alternate the lyrics depending on the teams.
And of course there's Rover, laying down, unamused, waiting for some hot dogs to roll his way (that's why he's sitting next to lil' Billy).
But is this what NBC means? Why do they try and paint that picture?
Yet I'm sitting there, drinking beer, waiting for the game, listening to these talking heads -- and I never felt more American. And when i say American, I mean the media America. I like beer and I like football, yet I wanna get a head start on my puking when I see these networks sensationalize football. It's a game, and now a game that's changing fast, a game that's in trouble of even happening next season cause the players have become so greedy they want MORE money, a game that's being used as a tool for beer, liquor, food, and you-name-it, to incorporate advertising. Everyone's trying to ride football's coat tails
And I love the game I truly do, and if the Jets win the Superbowl I'll lose my mind and skip school for a week to go on a 5 day drinking binge. Yet I realize, they got me.
I like football for my own reasons, but when I sit there, in front of the television, beer in my hands, meat on the stove, cigarettes, and bongs, and heavy hits, and all my friends, and half time chugs, and Bob Fuckin' Costas, and the :03 field goal-fourth quarter --
I'm being the American they want me to be.
p.s. sorry for the rant
this is, in fact, the kind of thing i was hoping to read. i'm going to ask a couple of questions, though, for further thought or inspiration. such as: does costa (and other commentators) impose a culturally significant narrative through all their talk on what would otherwise be just a game? is there a reason that the most violent sport televised is also the most popular (baseball, that pastoral game, used to be)? does football inculcate values or condition responses that are compatible with what Gitlin calls the money economy? Just asking.
ReplyDeletealright sweet. i'm glad i'm on the right track.
ReplyDeleteas far as commentators go, i don't think they're as effective as they try to be. even though i personally see through their commentary, i don't think that's a tribute to me but more that they're appealing to the wrong crowd. I don't think sunday is really "football night in america", and the significance they try to create is lost amongst the game (perhaps due to the attention deficit americans have). that being said, me and my friends were talking the other day about how would watching a game be different if there was no commentary -- and isn't that why we pay money to see these games? so why not broadcast it as such? (i understand this is a loaded question).
i think that violence is defintely the biggest part of football's popularity, but i don't think it can attribute for all its success. what entices me about football is that there's only 17 regular season games, so each game counts. you can tune out of baseball for a few weeks in the summer, but if your team is doing consistent then nothing really changes. however, this outlook coincides with the metaphorical shift from baseball to football, that is, the majority of us can't pay attention to 162 games. it's easier for people to get into football for the first time then baseball.
there are other factors too. baseball's whole steroid issue (which they're finally moving out from) might have been a damper. the way that the game is unexpected, any team can win on any given day (which is true for all sports but more significant in football), and it's also seen as more masculine -- you gotta be strong and fast, and endure physically and mentally -- baseball players can be overweight, or skinny. I don't think any of these claims justify the claim that football IS better than baseball, but I think it supports the idea that the culture is certainly changing. My issue is that I want to believe that I like football for the right reasons, but in contrast to this culture I can't help but feel a part of it.
And of course, football is one of the biggest contributors to the money economy. I was just watching Sportscenter and a coach from the Tennessee Titans got fined $40,000 for flipping out a ref. The fact that someone can EVEN BE FINED $40,000 for flipping the bird is insane! that means these people are be wayy overpaid. The NFL is all about making money, as is every team, and pretty much every sports franchise for that matter. And because of the success of the NFL, other companies and corporations have associated themselves with it (especially beer). The culture that has formed is congruent with how football and beer, and all media has evolved. It's all the same rate.
Me and one of my friends joke (darkly) that in a few years the NFL will transform into a more rugby like sport. They are already hinging about adding more games to the schedule, and offense are becoming more explosive and showy, instead of strategic. The game is trying become more of a focus on certain players (mainly offensive players such as quarterbacks or running backs) instead of team effort. But I think the traditional aspects of football are still staying in tact. Who knows the fate of football -- except that it is probably tied to culture.
And i guess because everything's connected, and everything is concentrated on making money, then yes i think Gatlin's idea of the money economy is correct.
there are other factors too. baseball's whole steroid issue (which they're finally moving out from) might have been a damper. the way that the game is unexpected, any team can win on any given day (which is true for all sports but more significant in football), and it's also seen as more masculine -- you gotta be strong and fast, and endure physically and mentally -- baseball players can be overweight, or skinny. I don't think any of these claims justify the claim that football IS better than baseball, but I think it supports the idea that the culture is certainly changing. My issue is that I want to believe that I like football for the right reasons, but in contrast to this culture I can't help but feel a part of it.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, football is one of the biggest contributors to the money economy. I was just watching Sportscenter and a coach from the Tennessee Titans got fined $40,000 for flipping out a ref. The fact that someone can EVEN BE FINED $40,000 for flipping the bird is insane! that means these people are be wayy overpaid. The NFL is all about making money, as is every team, and pretty much every sports franchise for that matter. And because of the success of the NFL, other companies and corporations have associated themselves with it (especially beer). The culture that has formed is congruent with how football and beer, and all media has evolved. It's all the same rate.
Me and one of my friends joke (darkly) that in a few years the NFL will transform into a more rugby like sport. They are already hinging about adding more games to the schedule, and offense are becoming more explosive and showy, instead of strategic. The game is trying become more of a focus on certain players (mainly offensive players such as quarterbacks or running backs) instead of team effort. But I think the traditional aspects of football are still staying in tact. Who knows the fate of football -- except that it is probably tied to culture.
ReplyDeleteAnd i guess because everything's connected, and everything is concentrated on making money, then yes i think Gatlin's idea of the money economy is correct.
Firstly, you should watch Aussie Rules Football. I didn't think a sport could be more brutal than rugby.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, how can you be a fan of football and really sports in general but not be completely enthralled in the different storylines that play themselves out during a season? Bob Costas talks about concussions and McNabb playing his former team because it adds drama to what would otherwise just be a game. Since when is it a bad thing to enjoy that part of sports? Human beings enjoy sports because we enjoy the drama that surrounds them. The home run race, Brett Favre's consistent off-season indecision, even steroids all add another element to sports that makes them larger than life, that makes them matter to us. Because the honest truth is that we should not care that 'roided out freaks of nature pummel each other for millions of dollars over points that ultimately don't matter.
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ReplyDeleteI understand that football is not the most brutal sport in the history of man. I'm talking about popular, commercialized sports specifically in America.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think it's quite easy to be enthralled with sports and not with the story-lines that follow. I don't want the drama, it turns the game into a soap opera. You think people gave a fuck about quarterbacks or players doing what they do off the field than they do now? Don't you think the rise of sensationalism in sports is directly related to the growth of media?
More power to you if you want to get into that aspect of sports, but I think it coincides with the whole point that news (including sports) is ephemeral -- in a few years we won't remember what Bob Costas was trying to preach to us on a Sunday Night Football game. Sports used to be enjoyed because it was a good game to watch, and like I said, when performed at its highest level, it becomes some-what an art form.
I'm not trying to be an elitist sports fan, but I think the drama that surrounds the sports are being held at a higher degree and are discussed and talked about more than the actual game. It takes away from the actual GAME aspect of it all. And that's all I was trying to say
I'm not talking about Favre harassing a reporter. That stuff is obnoxious and a distraction.
ReplyDeleteBut there is an inherent drama to sports because of things that happen on the field. Some of the stuff that Bob Costas talks about will always be important. It will be always be remembered. Brothers like Eli and Peyton Manning facing off in a big game, Donovan McNabb playing against his former team; these things frame the actual GAME aspect of it.
Again, I'm not talking about off the field incidents that aren't related to football. I'm talking about chasing records, milestone seasons, veterans having that comeback season. These things can make a good game into a great game to watch.
There is in-game drama that is different from the distractions that happen off the field. I think the reason we hold both in high regard is because these people make so much money. Some people feel that the lives of sports stars should be transparent because they are seen as heroes and role models.
I don't think Bob Costas is preaching to us. When he talks about concussions, we will remember it if not just because some quarterback plays through one to win the Super Bowl.
We have become more enthralled by these things because we have increasingly more ways to interact with sports. Look at all the sabermetric stats in baseball. That stuff is crazy. That is the flip side to which member of the Cowboys Jessica Simpson is sleeping with this week.
You may think that the beauty of sports is ruined by the overanalyzation and over dramatization of it. I don't totally disagree with you. It's a case by case basis.
First of all you watch the rules of football. Then
ReplyDeleteI'm not talking about off the field incidents that aren't related to football. I'm talking about chasing records,veterans having that comeback season. These things can make a good game into a great game to watch.
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