Sports and their Effect on Society

(I wanted to digress a little bit today. I figure it's time to take a small break from all the chaos surrounding Clemens. I think we all owe the man a day off, along with that McNamee fella. Anyhow I had to write a speech for my web design class and as I was writing it I thought it would make a great entry. So I hope you enjoy it!)


It is easy to argue that sports DO NOT define an era, considering many people regard them as useless, overpaid athletes, playing kids games. However, that is not the entire truth. Let's recall some of sports' most recent defining moments, shall we?

Where were you when the 2004 Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years? Or when they won the World Series AGAIN last October?

Where were you when the New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl in franchise history back in 2001?

Where were you in 1986 when Boston Red Sox rookie sensation Roger Clemens struck-out 20 batters in one-game? Were you even born yet? I for one was not.

Where were you when the Mitchell Report came out and Clemens was accused of using steroids and human-growth hormone?

Where were you last summer when Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time home run record?

You may not recall exactly WHERE you were in these instances (or any of sports greatest instances for that matter) but we all reacted in some way when we heard the news. Some people simply didn't care and felt there are more important issues to worry about. Others might state they did not find any of these great triumphs significant. But let's think about it, how do you think the people of Boston reacted after the Red Sox won that first World Series title in 86 years?

For the most part everyone was excited and gleaming with joy after the "Curse of the Babe" was reversed. (Except my Father and I of course) Many people even called out of work the next day, simply to celebrate the Red Sox amazing feat.

One way or another, we all find out about sports and their happenings. Whether it be Roger Clemens on Capitol Hill defending his innocence or Eli Manning's Super Bowl XLII upset of a powerhouse New England Patriots team, we always find out what is happening in the sports world, even if we don't really care about it.

When I signed online after Super Bowl XLII, I noticed EVERYONE was talking about how the Patriots blew the game, even GIRLS who I know for a fact DON'T CARE ABOUT SPORTS. Everyone was intrigued by the event in one way or another. Some were happy, some were mad, and of course a very select few didn't care.

However, we will always remember where we were when we heard the Patriots lost Super Bowl XLII, or where we were when we found out Roger Clemens was accused of using steroids throughout the latter portion of his career.

For most of us in the technological world we live in today, we were using our computers when we discovered the news, or reacted to it in some fashion. For instance, I remember after Super Bowl XLII I signed online and was immediately instant messaged by 50 of my friends asking, "HOW THE HELL DID THE PATRIOTS LOSE?!". Most of all however, I remember being instant messaged by a particular female friend of mine. She HATES sports and although she is a close friend, she REFUSES to read my blog. However, even she was caught up in the Patriots loss, wondering what the hell happened to the team that was supposed to go 19-0.

Even if you don't particularly care about sports and their happenings, you will eventually manage to find out what happened in last night's game, today's game and, of course, tomorrows game. Whether it be when you sign online or when you turn on your television there is no real way of avoiding sports. You could seclude yourself on a desert island and still you will manage to come across some "idiot fan" who knows what happened in last night's game.

Think back to the great wars of the past and how sports helped people get through the hard times. One example I can think of is how baseball helped people get through the harsh times following World War II. A number of United States citizens were at odds over the war wondering if they would ever feel safe again. Baseball produced some of its all-time greatest icons during this era including two of the greatest hitters of all-time, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams.

Joe DiMaggio as a baseball player was phenomenol (Joltin' Joe as he was called.) This paved the way into Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe's lover. DiMaggio became a cultural icon who defined what it was to be an American in the 1940s. Not only was DiMaggio from an immigrant family, but he too was a war hero who went on to live the "American Dream".

Sports are important to society because they are a means of escaping reality. I , for one, know that I watch baseball to escape the everyday happenings of the world. I can watch a baseball game and not have to worry about what time it is or who is starving in Africa. Although that may sound cold-hearted and heartless, I in no means intend it to come across that way.

In my opinion, sports provide a safe haven from the atrocities of modern culture, and therefore help define an era, in that, they help people escape the harshness of reality. They can forget about all the horrible things that occur on a daily basis around the world. Foremost, they help people realize that life isn't so bad here in the United States, and they produce role models and icons for our children to look up to.

Because of the evolving world of computer-mediated communication, we are always exposed to things that we don't want to be exposed to, like sports. Some people might hate politics, but still find themselves in coversations about politics or reading about them. Much like some people hate sports, but still find themselves reading the sports page everyday or involved in conversations about sports. The evolution of the internet has become a staple for allowing people to be exposed to such things. So for anyone to say that sports don't define an era, they are sorely mistaken.

Just think of how the lives of the people of Boston changed after that final out in the 2004 World Series, or the 2007 World Series for that matter. I know my life was changed, especially as a lifelong New York Yankees fan living in Massachusetts. Not only did I think that the Red Sox would never win a World Series in my lifetime, how could I have expected they would win two?! The Red Sox World Series victories helped define my era, as a Yankee fan,because I was alive to bear witness to an event that many though would never take place, let alone twice. Most of all, I was a member of the Yankee Empire when it fell that fateful October evening in 2004.

With all of the crazy things that have been going on in the sports world, from Spygate to Nanny-gate , I just can't wait for the baseball season to start. Maybe then it will help us forget about the steroid era and look towards the next era of sports...