There are lots of labels that I would use to identify myself as. Two of those things are liberal and a sports fan. I am what many would label as a left wing nutcase, but I tend to ignore those people. In short I believe that everyone has the right to believe what they want; if they happen to disagree with me that’s fine. I also would identify as a sports fan. I love the feeling of being an arena with thousands of other people cheering on a favorite athlete or a team. I love the Cubs (you can feel sorry for me if you want), a Bulls fan (your sympathies are appreciated), and a Bears fan (it was a blocked kick okay?). Out of the three of these sports my true passion is for the NBA but I have a deep love for all three. It started when I was a kid with my grandfather. He would record Cubs games or we would watch the night games together live. Being a Chicago Cubs fan has been in my blood since before I knew what was going on. As I grew older the passion leaked into the NFL and the Bears. Every Sunday we would watch multiple games, channel flipping to avoid commercials. My love for the NBA didn’t blossom till college, but that’s for another time. Right now I want to discuss my inner turmoil of being both a left wing nut and nuts for the NFL.
Some people, including several movies and books, would argue that football is one of if not the most racist sport in the U.S. Yet it is also the most popular. It seems that many, like me, get sucked into the games, the thrill, and the constant yelling at people to throw the football before getting sacked. I guess I should start at the beginning of my realizations of the complications of my two identities. This would be at the hands of Steve Almond who wrote a book called Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto. I was doing a paper about advertising in the NFL when I stumbled upon the book, and then all of the doubt started to sink in. In this book he details all the ways football is bad for the economy, people’s health, and for society; all the while talking about how he is also a liberal nutcase like me. I couldn’t believe the things that he was saying. I knew some of the stats, some of the problems, but I didn’t understand the implications. I saw that movie with Will Smith I thought I was in the clear. It wasn’t the case. Every time I watched football after that book I couldn’t think of it the same way. The joy was sucked out of it.
Then I thought about all of the joy, the family time, and all of the ways that it has brought me closer to people. I have met many a stranger at a bar wearing a Packers jersey and had a great banter about the Bears Packers rivalry. I’ve sat across from someone in an interview and put both of us at ease by commenting at their Detroit Lions artwork hanging in their office. This is what sports is all about, for fans anyway. It brings families together behind a common cause, it makes us forget family drama, and it gives us a healthy way to let out rage. (Especially at the New England Patriots) I understand that sports and the NFL play into a larger scheme of political and social powers, but for 3-9 hours on Sundays I can focus on hating the Packers rather than who is currently residing in the White House. I think that the NFL will continue to suck money out of the economy, make the rich even richer, promote racist ideologies, breed homophobia, and celebrate sexism for many seasons to come; but for now I educate myself and focus on other ways to help combat those negative things. I believe that as hearts and minds of Americans shift the sports we love will follow, but everything starts with us (the fans) holding legislators accountable. There are few things that bring people together in these times of political divisiveness, and sports is one of them.
Bear Down, Chicago Bears,
Josie
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