I admire Scott's efforts to bring excitment and interest into our classroom, really, I've never had a teacher who's done such a good job of it. Linking an Olympic hockey game into Literary Theory? Awesome! So on that note I'm going to run with this topic a little bit. First of all, ROCKS TO BE CANADIAN... now that that's out, what has hockey really become?
My grandfather and I had an interesting conversation about it the other night. It was once a "Canadian" game due to the cold weather in the North, ponds and lakes would freeze over and some dare devil tied metal to some shoes and BAM hockey was born. It was a community event, families and friends. Then it grew to townships. And all of a sudden countries were flying all over the world, being paid millions of dollars to skate with a stick. It's not a game, its an industry. Okay hockey fans, don't hate me too much.
I love sports just as much as the next person, but look around you!!! Look at any "sport". It is no longer a game. It is a huuuuuuge insittuion soaked in social constructions and ideologies! A hockey game= money. Everything from seat tickets, jerseys, hats, mitts, noise makers to the little team jersey's they make for babies! And wherever theres money, theres pride. This huge social construction of pride. Even my dad, loveeees Boston Bruins (has got a basement of items to prove it) and he'll pull pranks on my nieghbor (a Montreal fan) constantly and vice versa! He actually put a toliet seat on his front door! Hahah, its all in "good" fun I'm told, but still there are people who actually live by these games infront of their tv's. Live by something they've NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN yet they live by it? They live by an imaginative world that is not their reality. And its so far gone, so disconnected with reality that if i told my own father this, it would either be tramitizing to crush his so called "reality", or he simply wouldn't understand.
really good argument. although i realized that sports were an institution, i don't think i ever made the conscious connection. that last hockey game i went to, my boyfriend won the tickets. i looked at the price of them...$135!! i was so shocked i couldn't imagine paying that much on a regular basis and so many people do. and the stores in the center, it was crazy they were packed with people - buying jerseys that go for the same price. i was so shocked at how much of an institution it has become.
ReplyDeletehaha it's SO true. Even the lu hockey games here, I work at them and it's crazy all the promotions they have and raffling a game worn jersey every night for those who buy tickets and the merchandise they sell, and the beer and food concessions, etc. Just nuts, and thats not even professional sports.
ReplyDeletewow, I've never really looked at it in this way! But I'm also not much of a sports fan, so I've never really paid attentio to how much tickets are for sports events.
ReplyDeleteListen to the song Team Canada by Paul Brandt. It depicts Canada and hockey very well!
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