Don Sheldon wrote: "On 4/5/07, miyu <xmiyux@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > This alone runs contrary to much of our culture and is anathema to the very > basis of our sports consumed by the general public. "Sports, in pure and proper form, are not adversarial. The true object is the joy of playing. Has that theme been culturally subverted? Depends who you ask. I think it's too easy to fall into the trap of believing that the athletes (and their, as you put it, deification) is somehow a symptom of their own narcissism and drive to prove their superiority. I would counter with a belief that that perception is less caused by the athlete's actions and more by the league managers and other suits behind the action. "My point: competition, in and of itself, is not bad or wrong or a path to violence. Competition, done right, is fun. Too often, however, it is conflated with a much deeper opposition. Once the competition goes beyond the game, it's not fun anymore." Don, you nailed it. And it has been conflated. The suits are in it for the money that comes from fans' frenzy, which occasionally ends in violence in the stands as the teams' success is transferred to the fans' narcissism. Do the pros or collegiate teams play only for the joy of playing, or for their obscene paychecks and the mob mentality of their followers? Ballfields are gameboards, too, beginning with Little League parents' ambition. "Boys/men will fight and get over it while girls/women will fight and stay mad much, much longer." There are interesting explanations for that, but they would be off-topic. Thanks for making the point, Don. I'll put it in my blog. -- Kate