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RE: Sports: The Opiate for the People

I got a kick out of this essay, mainly because it reminded me so much of the movie Gladiator. For those who haven't seen it or forgot, the Caesar brings back the gladiator fights to distract the people of Rome from the woes and troubled state of Rome....anyways.....
The whole idea of classifying sports, or anything people turn to for enjoyment, as an opiate strikes me as hilarious. I especially found humor in this statement: "Opiates can be found in drugs. But the more law abiding ones look to a career, a hobby, an ideology, or even sports to give our lives the appearance of meaning and of transcendence. Opiates are illusions - “they give us the feelings that we are looking for, but fall short of the reality and don’t last without another fix." WHAT??? First of all, who exactly is defining reality?? Reality is different for everyone, and why is it such a "a sad thing, a spiritually destroying thing" to grasp something that brings us joy? Since when is getting wrapped up in the celebration for your favorite team falling short of reality? For some it is reality. It may not be mine, or yours, but to some it is. If things in someone's life are not all they want them to be, and that person gets joy from watching a sports event or taking part on a bowling team, why is that a spiritually destroying thing? It should be viewed as just the opposite. I give credit to that person for finding what it is that makes them smile, that makes their day worth while. I am a baseball fan. I watch every game I possibly can. Every time my team wins, I feel it. Everytime they lose, I feel it. I love the game of baseball....I don’t think baseball is an opiate that I turn to to supress the horror of my life....but so what if it was. How is it a bad thing if someone who's life isn't as joyous as they want it to be turns to sports to fill a certain void? If partaking in a rec league or simply jumping for joy at the sight of your team winning brings happiness, how is that wrong? People live their lives without happiness everyday, why are we so quick to judge those who have found it?

"The tragedy is that this social contrivance has enough social proof to keep people thinking that their bowling league, their local sports team, or their softball team actually is the place to go to feel the true joy of celebration, transcendence, and meaning."

I think if people choose to have their joyous outlet be a bowling league, a local sports team, or a softball team then we should salute them, not judge them and accuse them of turning to "an opiate". These people have found something to put a smile on their faces, to make them feel whole. And no, victory is not supposed to be “a prescription” for the woes we feel from the events of the past year. All the sports victories in the world will not erase the hurt and sorrow of life's tragedies, but maybe it will help us to move on. Help us to look at other things other than how horrible everything has become. What one person perceives as reality isn't always equal to another persons view. I don’t think sports is an opiate, I think it is a catalyst for moving forward, for getting out of bed every day and doing something so you don’t get caught up in the downs of life.

by Lori Oleskewicz

Read: "Sports: The Opiate for the People" by Joe Greene

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