Archive Report
Archive Report
Expanding Sports Menu
Multiple Outlets Serving Armchair Fans
Games enlist skill and intelligence, the utmost concentration of purpose, on behalf of activities utterly useless, which make no contribution to the struggle of man against nature, to the wealth or comfort of the community, or to its physical survival. —Christopher Lasch
Chances are, most sports fans would agree with Lasch's observation about the wider implications of sports in society. Yet games of sport are immensely popular throughout the world—even if they have nothing to do with the physical survival of the species. The United States is as sports-crazy as any other nation. Witness the idolatrous treatment of the nation's athletes in the Summer Olympics; they were hailed as heroes by everyone from the president to flag-waving citizens on ...