The culture of the US is remarkably complex and impressively diverse. This culture’s richness can be attributed mostly to the fact that the US is home to millions of people from diverse racial, national, religious and social backgrounds. Apart from its people, the US has also built its culture on sports. Since its establishment, sport has played a vital role in shaping the American way of life. While all sports have had this effect, baseball, football and basketball have particularly been influential. These three sports are ubiquitous as they have been embraced across the country. Their popularity highlights the vital role that they continue to play in imbuing the US with a unique and deeply rich cultural identity. While baseball, football and basketball are primarily used as platforms for entertainment and recreation, they are also highly symbolic. In particular, the three sports represent America’s resilient spirit, the importance of glamor, American nationalism, and the nation’s historical political tragedies, reforms introduced to expand education, and how inequality continues to blight the nation’s image. Additionally, baseball, football and basketball are symbolic of American political divisions and agendas and the central role that capitalist tendencies such as indecently high compensation for certain individuals at the expense of others, play in shaping the American experience.
Discussing the issues that baseball, basketball and football represent is hugely important. The importance of this topic lies in the fact that it allows one to appreciate the three sports and acknowledge their unique position in the American psyche. Additionally, by discussing this topic, it is hoped that the need for the world to join the US in embracing the three sports will become clearer. As other nations incorporate baseball, basketball and football into their cultures and identities, they will be poised to witness the same growth and richness that the US continues to derive from the three sports.
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Sports as Symbols of American History
Baseball, basketball and football reflect the key events that have shaped the history of the US. When one examines how the three sports were developed, it becomes clear that the sports point to the richness, controversy and complexity of American history. One of the ways through which the sports symbolize America’s history is that they have all withstood the many political, social and economic challenges that the US has faced over the years. For example, as Rader (2004) found out, “ “Wars and economic downturns only temporarily set back steady gains in attendance at all levels of the game” (p. 161). Here, Rader makes it clear that even in the face of wars and economic hardships, American commitment to the three sports has not wavered. The fact that the US has invested heavily in leagues further underscores the historical significance of the three sports. For instance, according to Guttman (1988), over the years, various stakeholders such as schools have set up facilities and infrastructure as an expression of their dedication to sport. The investments are clear indication that the US has historically understood that its strength could only be guaranteed by prioritizing sport development.
There are hundreds of sportsmen and women from different generations whose names capture American ideals, values and history. These personalities show that football, baseball and basketball have a historical significance in the US. Guttman (1988) confirmed that the sports people and other parties as commentators involved in sport have helped the US to build a unique cultural identity. According to Guttman (1988), “ Commentators as different as Mark Twain, Morris Raphael Cohen, and Jacques Barzun agreed with the fans in the bleachers that baseball was an expression of a distinctively American culture” (p. 51). The fact that these personalities are from different generations indicate that the US has a long history with baseball, basketball and football. Apart from these personalities, the three sports obtain their cultural significance from the role that they have played in fueling educational reform in the US. In previous years, American educational institutions placed much of their focus on academic programs. The emergence of baseball, basketball and football challenged these institutions to broaden their mandates and integrate sport into their operations (Gorn & Goldstein, 1993). It is therefore reasonable to attribute the development that American education has undergone to the three sports.
The inequality that has historically plagued the US can be seen in the development processes and histories of baseball, basketball and football. An examination of the country’s history shows that it has historically failed racial minorities and women. In lecture 8, it was pointed out that the three sports have historically been dominated by men and have promoted traditional notions of masculinity such as physical strength. Today, women and minorities remain largely under-represented in the three sports. However, the progress that the US is making in increasing the representation of these groups should be acknowledged. The traditional and outdated ideas about masculinity are now being replaced by such other movements as professionalism and equality (Lecture 8). As baseball, basketball and football become even more popular, the nation should be able to expand the space for women and minorities to participate fully.
Symbols of American Values
In addition to serving as symbols of American history, baseball, basketball and football also represent the values that underlie the American identity. Resilience is among the values that the three sports symbolize. How the three sports perform this role can be seen in the spirits and behavior of sport teams and fans. Fans celebrating the victories of their teams across the US is a common sight. Even when their teams lose, the fans remain committed (Guttman, 1988). For example, there are thousands of Americans who remain loyal to their favorite teams despite strings of losses. The loyalty of these fans and the remarkable resilience of the teams represent America’s steadfastness and capacity for recovery. In the years since its establishment, the nation has grappled with a wide range of challenges. Instead of dampening its spirit, these challenges have energized Americans to continue to build the nation. The unity and hope that the American people continue to display can be linked to baseball, basketball and football. It appears that these three sports have toughened the American people, enabling them to withstand difficulties and harness challenges for growth.
How baseball, basketball and football are carried out and the behaviors of their players symbolize America’s obsession with drama, glamor and controversy. As opposed to other sports which tend to focus on actual field performance, baseball, basketball and football are highly personal. For example, in the US, successful players in the three sports are respected and revered. In fact, as Rader (2004) observed, Hollywood celebrities worry that sportsmen and women are gobbling up nearly all the media and public attention. How Americans regard the three sports point to the nation’s deep interest in glamorous, controversial and dramatic issues. For instance, today, news outlets and media organizations are abandoning substantive issues in favor of controversial matters that are more likely to capture the interest and attention of the American audience. Basically, the US is gradually sliding into an era where issues that demand attention are ignored with focus given to shallow and vain pursuits.
American nationalism and pride are other values that are portrayed through baseball, basketball and football. While the three sports are immensely popular in the US, they have failed to gain traction in other parts of the world. This is among the messages that Markovitz and Hellerman (2014) convey in their text. According to this duo, “ In Europe, baseball has made limited inroads only in Holland and Italy, remaining completely esoteric to the rest of the Continent” (p. 83). The inability of the three sports to find acceptance elsewhere indicate that they are essentially and uniquely American. One would expect that given the lack of global interest in the three sports, the US would abandon them. Since the nation remains dedicated to the sports, it can only be concluded that basketball, football and baseball are integral and indispensable components of American nationalism.
Representations of Rivalry and Competition
While it is true that the US offers support to its citizens, it is generally agreed that individuals should take personal charge of their own lives. It is therefore little wonder that rivalry and competition form an essential part of the American culture. Baseball, basketball and football represent the nation’s endorsement of rivalry and intense competition. The teams engaged in these sports commit tremendous effort to secure victory (Lecture 9, n.d.). For example, intense training and investments in star players are among the measures that they institute. Every year, teams announce that they are acquiring new players as part of their efforts to enhance their competitiveness. Additionally, the teams desperately attempt to build their fan bases. All these measures indicate that baseball, football and basketball teams are fueled by rivalry and competition. More importantly, the teams show that the US recognizes that rivalry and competition holds the key to success. In order to achieve the American dream, individuals must compete with others for limited resources through hardwork and unwavering dedication.
For the most part, the competition and rivalry among football, baseball and basketball teams have positive effects. They challenge these teams to spare no effort in enhancing their competence. However, as Markovits, Shipan and Victor (2017) suggest, the competition can have adverse outcomes. According to these scholars, intense competition is fueling envy and scorn. They observed that poorly performing and under-funded American colleges envy their counterparts which perform better and receive greater funding. Markovits and his colleagues reported that “The emotional content and normative expression of college football rivalries in the United States are less defined by the respective teams’ actual athletic results in the competition but rather by their institutions’ perceived prestige as well as their social and cultural capital encapsulated by their academic ranking” (p. 1). This statement shows that sports are losing their essence and instead becoming tools for competition and securing prestige. Additionally, sports teams engage in unhealthy competition for visibility. Rader (2004) cautioned that teams are becoming increasingly obsessed with media presence and are going extreme lengths to remain relevant and visible. How these teams pursue their goals highlight the state of the US today. It has been reported that the wealth gap is becoming wider as the rich becomes wealthier while the poorest Americans to continue to wallow in sorrow. The state of affairs in the US is perfectly captured in how sports teams with massive capital endowments cement their dominance at the expense of smaller and poorly funded teams.
Depiction of American Politics
It can be argued that football, baseball and basketball mirror the state of American politics. In particular, the three sports reflect the deep political divisions among the American public. The very structure of the teams and the fact that they are established on ruthless competition highlights how the sports reflect American politics and divisions. The teams do not pursue compromises (Guttman, 2004). Instead, as mentioned earlier, they relentlessly seek victory. Sadly, similar relentless and uncompromising desire for winning defines American politics. For example, instead of joining forces and abandoning their differences, members of Congress today are placing party loyalty over the national interest. The fact that sports like basketball have been linked explicitly to Americans of particular political persuasions is further evidence that the sports reflect American politics. For example, in their discussion of the development and changes that basketball has undergone, Gorn and Goldstein (1993) describe basketball as a liberal sport. This characterization represents the belief that American politics is enshrined in football, baseball and basketball.
There is no question that baseball, basketball and football have changed drastically. However, their use in pushing for certain political agendas is among the issues that have remained unchanged. Today, sport is playing a vital role in advancing political and social justice agendas. For example, football is being leveraged by African American players to draw attention to police brutality against black Americans. The US is also using sports to pursue political agendas on the global scale. For example, recently, the NBA was embroiled in a scandal concerning the protests in Hong Kong (Li, 2019). NBA involvement in the protests indicates that sports can serve as a tool for causing political change.
Sports and Capitalism
Apart from American culture, values and competition, baseball, basketball and football also symbolizes the unfair and exploitative American capitalist economic model. For example, despite bringing in huge revenues for their schools, college athletes receive no pay. Markovitz and Hellerman (2014) lamented about how the schools fail their student athletes by stating that Unpaid athletes earning huge revenues for their schools…had been a given since the Harvard-Yale football contests” (p. 89). The practices of the colleges are similar to the tendency by American firms to underpay their workers despite the crucial role that they play in driving success. Football, baseball and basketball are also unequal as they have failed to create spaces for racial minorities (Lecture 12, n.d.). The inequalities in these sports can be likened to the gaps and economic disparities in the US today. African Americans and other minorities earn lower wages and are more likely to be poor. Their struggles are comparable to those of poorly paid athletes whose contributions remain unacknowledged and have gone unrewarded for years.
The discussion this far has presented baseball, basketball and football as accurate symbols of American culture, economy and position in the world. An argument can be made that these sports serve no symbolic purpose. This argument would be based on the premise that the three sports are not uniquely American. It is indeed true that baseball, basketball and football are also played in other parts of the world. Given this fact, it is reasonable to suppose that the US not exceptional but is just one of the many nations where sport has had significant effects. Another argument that casts doubt on whether the three sports are symbolic is that suggesting a symbolic function erodes the complexity of the American way of life. Essentially, the US culture is so deeply rich and sophisticated that it cannot be represented by sport. While all these arguments are valid, they do little to invalidate the assertion that baseball, basketball and football are highly representative of American culture, politics and economy. The three sports have their roots in the US and the country has almost solely developed the sports. Therefore, there is no doubt that baseball, football and basketball represent various elements of the US.
In conclusion, when it claims that it is an exceptional and special nation, the US can use baseball, football and basketball to substantiate this claim. These three sports have and continue to represent the issues that Americans care most deeply about. Thanks to these sports, the world is now able to understand that the US is an incredibly resilient nation which values loyalty and success. However, these sports also paint the US in unflattering light. They show that the country’s inequality are rooted in a culture of harmful competition and rivalry. The main take-away for those examining baseball, basketball and football should be that the three sports aptly summarize American ideals, history and sociopolitical system.
References
Gorn, E., & Goldstein, W. (1993). A brief history of American sports . Toronto: Harper Collins Canada.
Guttman, A. (1988). A whole new ball game. An interpretation of American sports. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
Lecture 8
Lecture 9
Lecture 12
Li, A. J. (2019). With polarising perspectives on the NBA and Hong Kong protests, both China and the US should show more maturity. SCMP. Retrieved October 26, 2019 from https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3034357/polarising-perspectives-nba-and-hong-kong-protests-both-china-and
Markovits, A. S., & Hellerman, S. L. (2014). Offside: soccer and American exceptionalism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Markovits, A. S., Shipan, R., & Victor, J. (2017). Envy and scorn as primary markers of the pervasive antipathy in college football’s rivalry games: the University of Michigan as a representative microcosm. Sport in Society. doi: 10.1080/17430437.2017.1326758
Rader, B. G. (2004). American sports. From the age of folk games to the age of televised sports. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
