Sports fandom can get very heated. From Lebron James's decision to play basketball in a place much nicer than where he was raised to Jay Cutler's (or the Bears) decision not to play on a torn MCL. Folks get real excited about something that, from the outside, has no tangible impact on their lives. It's fun people-watching to see the degree of invective and vitriol some folks dedicate toward grown men throwing balls around.
It's all about projection and narratives. Most folks live in a way that, absent Steinbeck's gift of prose, doesn't make for a very good story. We work jobs that don't interest us to pay for things we may or not need and to support the well being of those who may or may not appreciate what we're doing. Or we're living off our parents and going to graduate school so that we can express ourselves artistically, even though we don't have a firm grasp on what we believe or what we love. Apply your own scenario here.
But sports have narratives and myths that demand our attention. Lebron James was supposed to be the savior of Cleveland. He's a superhuman talent who would restore respect and national acclaim to a city with diminishing resources and pride. Only problem was, he decided he wanted to have fun in Miami hanging out with his friends and winning basketball games. So he left.
And the folks who believed in the myth felt jilted. Because Lebron James's decision didn't fit their narrative. And they got real angry at him. Burned his jersey and stuff. But the degree of vitriol wasn't commensurate with the crime. But when you bust a myth that's someone else has projected on you, and that myth is THEIR dream, the response can be ugly.
In Chicago and Green Bay, folks like to think of themselves as hardy, down-to-earth folk. The weather is horrific, and, by most measures, there are simply better places to live. And it's no accident that sports worship tends to be most intense in these kinds of places. The Packers and Bears are expressions of cities. Sportscasters invariably talk about the strength of their defenses and their physical toughness, without any evidence to support their claims. And no one questions them. Because these are the myths that are associated with the towns.
Chicagoans and Wisconsinites are tougher than most, because they endure crappy weather. By analogy, so are their football teams, despite no connection between the origins of the players and the locales themselves.
Jay Cutler got hurt yesterday. He tore his ACL. But the rest of him was shredded far worse by legions of followers-on who commented on his absence. He was labeled as soft and weak. It was angry and vicious. And totally disjointed from the truth.
It's stupid to play on a torn ligament; the doctors pulled him from the game. But the Bears didn't win. And we need something to explain the narrative of why the Bears' toughness lost out to the Packers' toughness. And the easiest way to do that is to find a scapegoat to help resolve the native. A weakling infiltrated the Bears' toughness and made them lose to the Packers' toughness.
In reality, the Packers were, despite their inferior record, probably a better football team. Their points differential was far superior to the Bears. But that doesn't fit with the narrative. And so eff Jay Cutler. His personality flaws are the reason the Bears lost.
Never mind that folks with severe personality flaws win all the time (See, i.e.., Roethlisberger, Ben). We need a myth to believe in. After all, that's the only reason we cared in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment