Defining Sport

I first want to say that the Ohio State vs. Mich State basketball game was a wonderful game that went down to the buzzer. I think that a game like that is one of the most exciting things in sports. You are on the edge of your seat till the very end of the game. MSU had been losing the whole game but made a push in the last two minutes of the game. Here is the recap of the second half.

The reading this week was very interesting. I had never really thought very much about what defines sport before reading this excerpt. In Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht's book, In Praise of Athletic Glory, he states that all sports do not share one thing in common, but rather all sports are connected through similarities. "Wrestling and rugby," he says, "certainly have some affinities in common, and rugby and soccer developed from the same group of games. But wrestling and soccer do not visibly share a lot of features." I agree with that part of Gumbrecht's definition very much. I also believe that just as we evolve and advance over time, so does sport. Chariots evolved into cars and sport followed evolving from chariot races to NASCAR races.

Gumbrecht then goes on to talk about the presence and meaning dimensions. I wont try to summarize this because I think he says it better than I ever could. I agree with Gumbrecht in terms of the importance of the presence as opposed to meaning dimension in sport.

The way I envisioned this course was that we would talk extensively about competition as a major factor in why people play and watch sport. Gumbrecht stresses that while many people would rather associate competition, agon, with sport, it is also the striving for excellence, arete, with which sport should be associated. Arete, he argues, implies agon. "For even if we strive for excellence in absolute solitude," he says, "we cannot do so without the competition against the performance of (absent) others." It is possible to win a competition without striving for excellence. If one team is noticeably better than the other, only a little effort from the better team is needed to achieve victory.

Yet agon is certainly a major part of sports as well. Women's college basketball may be the most pure form of basketball that exists. There is no money involved. There are not many people watching so there is nothing to gain by being selfish or trying to show off. It is a very team oriented game. Yet men's sports are still more popular because ultimately, a men's team would beat a women's team. This shows that while arete is vital in explaining sport, agon is equally as important.

Overall, I agree with Gumbrecht. I think that part of sport is both the importance of competition and winning, as well as striving to push the limits. What would sport be without winners and losers? Additionally, what would sport be without records constantly being broken? Sport, by my definition, is a group of activities which share similar traits from one sport to the next. These activities are the synthesis of agon and arete.

Gym Class

I found the Rugby reading very interesting. I think that the idea of a school focusing solely on sports is very intriguing. Sports teach many important values that might not be learned in a normal classroom setting. Teaching sports and physical education is certainly important. It is interesting to note that this idea has come full circle. Just weeks ago there was a big controversy in New York because many schools, including elementary and middle schools, were putting Body Mass Index on report cards. Many people in today's society are obsessed with healthy eating and physical wellbeing. The number of people that work out has increased noticeably in the past few decades. So the idea of focusing on physical fitness is not a new or foreign idea; people have been concerned with health and fitness since way back when.

On the other hand, I believe that people should be well rounded. Many student athletes get criticized for being "dumb jocks," people who care more about sports than academics. A school like the Rugby School would not do as well today as it might have in the past, but sports camps and other programs exist that focus only on sports. Many are only a week or two long becuase in today's society , being a well rounded individual is very important. People need to learn math and English as well as basketball and soccer.

Philadelphia-esque

Last weekend the Eagles season ended like so many Philadelphia sports teams' seasons have. The Eagles, down by 6, started the fourth quarter by marching down field. They had second and 1 on the New Orleans 4 yard-line. They could not score a touchdown. They ended up kicking a field goal and going on to lose the game by 3 points, 24-27. This is a very Philadelphia-esque thing to have happen. Eagles fans were both sad and upset. The Eagles have gotten close countless times but so often have choked or failed.

I am very excited about the Bears though. It is cool to be in a city that is alive with spirit. I hope the Bears continue to win because I know Chi-town would go crazy if the Bears make or win the Superbowl. Go Bears!!!

My Views on Sport

Living in southern NJ, I have been a Philadelphia sports fan all my life. I've always loved the Eagles and Hated the Giants and Cowboys. The Cowboys used to crush the Eagles back when I was in elementary school. North Jersey wants to be part of NYC so they are NY sports fans. South Jersey wants to be part of Philadelphia and is mostly Philly fans. Being a Philadelphia sports fan involves lots of great traditions, including eating Geno's or Pat's cheesesteaks and arguing over which was better as well as losing. Philly teams always have lots of talent but cant seem to do well. This year the Phillies had Ryan Howard, the MVP on their team and couldn't seem to make the playoffs. The Eagles have gotten so close so many times but cant seem to win a Super Bowl. They went to four NFC Championships in a row and didn't win a single Super Bowl. Philly teams get so close but cant finish. Or many teams also make the playoffs only to choke in the 2nd or 3rd round. I, along with the many other loyal Philly fans, are still waiting for an Eagles Super Bowl win or a Phillies World Series win.

I never really played sports seriously. I was on a few traveling soccer teams as a child but never a high school or even middle school sports team. I am much more of a spectator. I wake up every morning and watch Sports Center, but I also enjoy the occasional game of pick-up basketball or soccer.

I think people play sports because we all have a competitive instinct. I also firmly believe that there are many different types of intelligence, including mental, physical, musical, and artistic. I think that just like there are people who are good at math, others are equally good at what they do, be it carpentry, sports, or cooking. Those people are intelligent as well. Competitive instincts lead people to want to prove that they are better than others which leads to an organized competition that we call a football or baseball game. But it is not just football and baseball that are sports; fencing, golf, boxing, soccer, running, and many other things are also sports.

My favorite sports to watch are baseball and football. I am a huge Phillies fan. I love listening to Harry Kalas announce games. Its a voice I love to listen to and I think goes perfectly with baseball. I also enjoy listening to baseball on the radio. Some people say baseball is boring but I love it. It is played at such a relaxing pace yet it is very suspenseful. Games can change with one swing of the bat. It is very exciting.

I am also a big Eagles fan. The Eagles have let many fans down in the past decade or so. But Philly fans are still there. I know many people who have season tickets and are still loyal fans. Since NY is so close (2 hours from Atlantic City, about an hour and a half from Philly) there are a few NY fans in my area as well.

I love sports and all that they do for people. They not only entertain, but they also bring together millions of people. Sports gives people something to connect with, follow, and support. I plan on going to South Africa in 2010 for the World Cup. It is going to be an amazing experience. It will be like nothing else and I can't wait to go. I love watching, following, and playing sports. I am a Philly sports fan and I always will be. GO EAGLES!!!