North American Sports Culture

For much of my life, athletics and sports have played a main role. Being from Canada, I felt as if I chose the right sport in Lacrosse (it being the national sport) but not being a serious hockey fan put me at a disadvantage. I played, reffed, coached and managed teams through my youth and into high school and I am currently don the garnet and gold of the Mount Allison Mounties CIS football team. I follow professional sports closely and pretty knowledgeable in all sports of sports trivia and facts.

That being said, I felt it was necessary to write a post on the current state of professional sports in North America and my unhappiness with it. I guess it began with the NHL and the controversy that surrounded the Canadian teams within that league. in the mid to late 90's Canada was going through rough economic times, budget cuts at the federal level were common and health care, social programs and the military all received heavy spending restrictions. Yet it was being proposed that the federal and provincial government assist the six financially struggling NHL teams. I felt then as I do now, tax money from individual Canadians who do not for the most part make six figures for less than a year of work is not a ethical sound course of action for a government. In the USA, despite multi-million dollar television and merchandising contracts, the NCAA still enjoys a tax exempt status. Interesting how that works.
In North American cities such as Detroit, where the downtowns are essentially crumbling under the weight of poverty, crime and unemployment still maintain immaculate facilities for their pro teams. While not publicly funded, the appearance of temples to baseball or football conjures an image of Gothic cathedrals rising from the slums of medieval France. Colleges, the lifeblood of innovation and leadership are dwarfed by their athletics programs. Varsity athletics bring prestige to schools and create a culture of loyalty and support for that school but when the academic integrity are sacrificed in that drive for athletic prowess it becomes problematic. When funding for a major department or area of study suffers as a result of varsity competition and funding then it becomes problematic. Maybe its something I do not understand.

In the end it is something which causes me to both wonder at and question at the same time, a entity which will bring out thousands of individuals, many whom do not have the type of disposable income to spend at a sporting event, time after time after time. No one can question the skill and dedication involved with playing a high level or professional sport but in the end is this where our society places its emphasis. Are professional athletes the ones who care and develop our children, keep our streets safe, care for us when we are sick or even drive the truck that delivers the milk to the grocery store? In a time where heroic deeds and hope are considered few and far between. In an era where idols all seem tragically flawed and those in which trust and faith was placed seem to buckle under that pressure, one only needs to look down the street or around the corner. One needs to look at the police officer working overtime or the teacher working with a disabled child, the social workers, the crown councilors and free clinic doctors. In is in these people we can find hope, and perhaps will make one think what they think is important to society.