Nov. 17: A community of groups
Sports leagues are necessary because humanity cannot shed its
propensity for tribalism. We will not kill each other over water rights
or potential romantic partners, but we will scream our battle cries when
the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks.
I went to a Flames game in Montreal earlier this month. I saw a guy in a Flames jersey and I ran over to shake his hand. He smiled and we shook and we posed for a picture and I have absolutely no idea who he is or what he's about. His religious, political, economic and social views could be the complete anti-thesis of mine. But in that instant, I didn't care. He was my brother and we were in enemy territory.
And that night, we were victorious.
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I am a magician. As such, I am a brother to magicians everywhere. Some of the world's very best magicians might not consider me brethren, but that is their problem.
I am also a brother to writers, journalists, Calgary Flames fans, Saskatchewan Roughrider fans, Bishop Grandin High School graduates, Capricorns, Prince fans, and short guys. We are united in our common bonds that differentiate us from the masses.
It is this very phenomenon that makes sports leagues possible in the first place. We all know that professional sports are pretty silly in and of themselves. Let's have a look at my beloved Calgary Flames, for example. Do the players have any set loyalty to Calgary? No. They were drafted by the Flames or they were traded. They could have just as easily wound up with another team. Most of the players aren't even from Calgary and some aren't even from Canada. The same can be said about the coach and the GM (the Flames GM is actually an American.)
The people who coach and manage and scout for the Flames are not from Calgary. They are more loyal to their paycheques than they are the geography. It is a con game, but it is a harmless con because we know that being a sports fan gives us an illusory sense of brotherhood.
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A few years ago, my brother and I vacationed in California. We visited UCLA and we drove past all the fraternity houses. My brother commented - wistfully, I think - on how enjoyable Greek life is. I didn't challenge his statement. Both of us attended the fraternity-free Mount Royal University and I thought all we knew about the so-called Greek life came from movies like Revenge of the Nerds.
Years later, I learned that there are social advantages to belonging to fraternities. Going for a job interview and you notice that your potential employer is wearing a frat ring similar to the one you're wearing - you'd be a fool not to mention it.
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Kurt Vonnegut once pointed out that part of the reason Christianity has been so successful is that its adherents insist on forming congregations. He also noticed that churches excel at providing people with artificial extended families, something that atheism has failed to accomplish.
If you feel like no one respects you, just join a church and embrace that church's doctrinal statement. You'll be respected.
I went to a Flames game in Montreal earlier this month. I saw a guy in a Flames jersey and I ran over to shake his hand. He smiled and we shook and we posed for a picture and I have absolutely no idea who he is or what he's about. His religious, political, economic and social views could be the complete anti-thesis of mine. But in that instant, I didn't care. He was my brother and we were in enemy territory.
And that night, we were victorious.
-
I am a magician. As such, I am a brother to magicians everywhere. Some of the world's very best magicians might not consider me brethren, but that is their problem.
I am also a brother to writers, journalists, Calgary Flames fans, Saskatchewan Roughrider fans, Bishop Grandin High School graduates, Capricorns, Prince fans, and short guys. We are united in our common bonds that differentiate us from the masses.
It is this very phenomenon that makes sports leagues possible in the first place. We all know that professional sports are pretty silly in and of themselves. Let's have a look at my beloved Calgary Flames, for example. Do the players have any set loyalty to Calgary? No. They were drafted by the Flames or they were traded. They could have just as easily wound up with another team. Most of the players aren't even from Calgary and some aren't even from Canada. The same can be said about the coach and the GM (the Flames GM is actually an American.)
The people who coach and manage and scout for the Flames are not from Calgary. They are more loyal to their paycheques than they are the geography. It is a con game, but it is a harmless con because we know that being a sports fan gives us an illusory sense of brotherhood.
-
A few years ago, my brother and I vacationed in California. We visited UCLA and we drove past all the fraternity houses. My brother commented - wistfully, I think - on how enjoyable Greek life is. I didn't challenge his statement. Both of us attended the fraternity-free Mount Royal University and I thought all we knew about the so-called Greek life came from movies like Revenge of the Nerds.
Years later, I learned that there are social advantages to belonging to fraternities. Going for a job interview and you notice that your potential employer is wearing a frat ring similar to the one you're wearing - you'd be a fool not to mention it.
-
Kurt Vonnegut once pointed out that part of the reason Christianity has been so successful is that its adherents insist on forming congregations. He also noticed that churches excel at providing people with artificial extended families, something that atheism has failed to accomplish.
If you feel like no one respects you, just join a church and embrace that church's doctrinal statement. You'll be respected.
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