Sports and ego

[Thestarguitarist14]

So, I am a big sports fan.  Racing in particular.  I used to race go karts and dirt cars.  It was my childhood dream to win the Daytona 500.  I actually ran a go kart race last month and dominated.

 

Anyway, I am watching the NASCAR race at Talladega.  Crazy ass track.  2.5 miles.  The way the design of the track is allows for the cars to be wide open.  Before they used to have to restrict the engines or they would go 245 mph.  Now the hp is so low (used to be 859, now it’s 550) that they don’t need to do it.  The cars run in a big pack and draft with each other all day long.  Even bump drafting where they hit each other to move ahead.

 

So it is mayhem.  Fun as hell to watch.  But this Sunday, like most race at Talladega and Daytona (seem deal) have multiple big crashes due to drivers being too aggressive going for the win.  For example, there was a big crash where one guy went airborne into the wall and landed on top of another car.  The guy who started the crash was pushing the car in front of him basically into a crash.  When asked about it he said “that’s what it’s all about.”

 

The guy who ended up winning is perhaps one of the most egotistical guys in the field.  Only the guy who won two weeks ago probably has a bigger ego than him.  
 

I feel bad for all these athletes.  They are all doing so much damage to their bodies.  All for fortune, fame and trophies.
 

It makes me think a bit.  While when I watch sports I watch to get inspired by the athletes.  Athletes are so disciplined and have great work ethics.  But the majority of these guys are stuck in stage orange/achiever stage.  In a way, you have to.  If you become too green you will lose your competitive edge and be forced out.  That is just the way it is.

 

So, are sports actually good for society?  Or do they get people to worship false idols and get too caught up in the idea of winners and losers?

Edited October 6, 2020 by Thestarguitarist14

[No Self]

Interesting question. It can be viewed from many different angles.

Vsauce once argued that the excitement inherent in sports seems to derive from experiencing life as our brains wish it operated; clearly-defined us-versus-them, precise rules of engagement, a specific purpose and a means of reducing success and failure to simple mathematics. The brain loves unpredictable and intermittent success/failure, too. Contrast this with the maddening mush of real life where no one knows what they are doing, it's not even clear who is on your team, its apparent purpose keeps changing, etc.

(And yes, a deadly twist on the same phenomenon explains religions and cults which sell us the fool's gold of an over-simplified narrative on life, its purpose and who is us versus who is them.)

Crash Course 'Big History' have pointed out the overwhelmingly similar DNA of humans versus chimpanzees, along with shared behaviours such as forming into groups and engaging in conflict with out-groups. This not only explains religions but also nationalism, political tribalism and ingroup vs. outgroup conflict of all types. And team sports.

Combined with the prerequisite of talent, fitness and hard work, sports people can be viewed as representing motivational success and inspiration. Sports can be seen as a harmless channel of primitive human energies that offers the excitement of tribal warfare without the bloodshed of our distant ancestors (or less civilised societies today).

Or, the whole notion can be dismissed as Western society promoting egocentrism and glorifying 'winning' over more enlightened ideals of making the world a better place, helping others or seeking to act from divine inspiration.

Personally, having said all that, my preference is to avoid over-analysing. It is as it is!

[RedLine]

In my opinion no, competition is not good since the goal is to be better than others. It goes in the opposite direction of compassion.

 

Get a better version of yourself through some kind of sport/discipline -> good

Train yourself to crush others -> bad

 

I practice sports but I try to avoid all kinds of competitions where there is a winner and and loser.

[Tim R]

As long as you are aware of the fact that it's only a game there's absolutely nothing wrong with competitive sports, I think. 

After all, what do you think the ego is? A game.

 

[Vittorio]

I could go on an essay, but I will give you a relatively brief answer.

You have to separe sport as a way of getting a fit body (e.g. powerlifting or crossfit) from a way of getting distracted/entertained from a way of exerting superiority on others.

Watching football matches, F1 racings and such is at the end a form of entertainment/low level distraction.

Often, a bad one.

You will find that many of those sports are filled with negative, dogmatic or hatred-filled people who uses sport to excert violence on other people (e.g. Ultras, hooligans, passional fans).

Many people create an ego around their favorite football club/player and start debating and insulting other people on the internet because they don't share their idea (e. g. debate about who is better, Messi or CR7?).

This is in most part due to the "primitivesness" existing in sport itself (this is mostly a physical activity).

There are sports more "intellectual" than other, such e-sports or chess, but they'll involve at the end some form of "becoming so good so that I can beat other people and excerting my superiority over them".

This kind of behavior is indeed a low consciousness behavior.

So, to sum it up: sport isn't bad itself.

You should absolutely do some sport where you can train your body to experience a better and longer life.

But, at the same time, I suggest you to vaoid at least that kind of egotistical superiority behavior and debating about who is better or such.

You can indeed enjoy watching sport. There is nothing bad about watching a football match, as long as you don't turn it in a distraction or use it to express negative emotions/behaviors.

It's a game, in the end

[Thestarguitarist14]

Btw, here is that crash I was talking about : 

@No Self Perhaps it comes from the mindset of the fans.  I say that the majority of fans who watch sports watch it to be entertained (usually while drunk) and as a way to get into their egos.  Like I had a friend who would watch sports with me and looking back, he was so egocentric about it.  He only placed value on the athletes for their results.  Nothing else.  

@Tim R  I suppose that is the issue with mainstream sports.  It is all about winning and crushing the competition.  Especially the NFL.  Though it is funny, the best athletes tend to have more of a mindset where they focus on bettering themselves and more or less manifest wins.

@Vittorio Thatbis a good way to put it.  I guess the blame falls mostly on the culture and the fans.  Sports have become such a low conscious thing to watch.  I used to talk to friends about it all the debate and debate on reddit.  Once I let go of all that I realized how much of a waste of time and energy that was.  And how it was dragging me down.  It is much better to just watch for the love of the sport rather than get caught up in the egotistical bait that the sport provides.  Like you says, at the end of the day, it’s just a game.  None of it matters.  The guy who won wins the race may be miserable and nobody knows it.  The guy who finished 22nd may be the most happy fulfilled guy in the world.

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2020 by Thestarguitarist14

[Preety_India]

 

Sports are fun as long as they are fun, playful and helpful to building the body and mind. Post that point, they can become toxic just like anything else. 

Consider anything that we consume as food. Some food is nutritious, some food is not. Some food is downright toxic. 

Learn to differentiate. 

The sports that causes people to have injuries, sometimes lifetime injuries are really not worth it and their dopamine kicks keeps the player wanting more and more, it's like an attachment, like you were speaking of the attachment in relationships, they are also an unhealthy attachment leading to addiction and wanting the dopamine high. 

When you are out of it and realize how healthy life can actually be without all this, you realize life is truly beautiful without all this noise 

 

 

[aurum]

@Thestarguitarist14

I enjoy playing sports maybe once in a while. But I see the act of playing sports as very different from the culture and institutions around sports.

For instance, I can't stand just passively watching sports on TV. It feels so mind-numbing, like I'm this zombie not actually alive, just consuming. And the fact that millions and millions of people enjoy this is quite scary to me.

In a more conscious society, I think we'll still have games and friendly competition. But it will not be this over-achiever, consumer culture version of sports.

 

[Denis_]

It depends on the sport. In the past I was a competitive cyclist and a competitive ultra-marathon runner (mostly trails). The cycling scene is plain toxic. The egos are huge.
But the trail running is completely opposite: everyone is supportive and generous, even at the competitive national level. Every race was like a love-fest with like-minded nature lovers who long to be lost in the woods for hours (or even days)..

[Dingo]

There are definitely many useful lessons to be learned in competitive sports as well.

Self Discipline, anger management, strategizing, ability to research, health, diet, humbleness or "being good sport"...

Since competitive sports put a lot more on the line, there is a greater incentive to actually perform well through developing these skills, that can be applied later in self-actualization.

It is a weaker version of the medieval generals, who if the didnt strategize well enough, they would lose the battle and lose their life.

[Thestarguitarist14]

@aurum I have been noticing just how toxic and low conscious the culture behind sports are.  And how hollow pro sports can be.  It is way more fulfilling to play them than to watch someone play them.

 

@Dingo That is what I live about sports.  They push you to be one the best version of yourself.  You have to be constantly improving.