Sports Reporting: The Unconventional Way

Go Panthers

In an earlier post I wrote about a recent international friendly between Portugal and Spain, in which the recently crowned World Cup 2010 Champions conceded a sobering 4:0 loss.  Last night, to the dismay of fans and Spain's captain, and outstanding goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, his club team Real Madrid experienced another sobering loss against its arch-rival club FC Barcelona in a fast, entertaining and emotion-packed game in the Spanish professional league La Liga.  It was a beautiful game, with numerous creative moments.  You can watch the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona game in its entirety at ESPN3 (while it lasts, and if you are lucky with the connection and all), or you could watch the game highlights here or elsewhere on the net.

Go Mustangs

Note that I am not a die-hard fan of either of these clubs (or any other club for that matter), and I can enjoy the beautiful moments no matter which side creates it.  I am somewhat surprised at the amazingly intense emotions of the various club fans.  I can understand that during the heat of the game, players get really uptight and emotional, but the craze involved in "sportsfanship" is somewhat disturbing.  The personal appeal of sports to me is characterized as follows:

I first heard a characterization similar to this in the wonderful movie Dead Poets Society, in slightly different form.  You can watch Mr. Keating (played by Robin Williams) explain this to his students in this clip of the move.

Go Dragons

However, I agree with Noam Chomsky where he explains in this segment (of the documentary Manufacturing Consent) how and why the die-hard sports-fan culture is to a significant degree promoted as part of mass media's public indoctrination techniques.

In my view, it is much more interesting and rewarding to enjoy the game with minimal emotional attachment.  Whoever plays a more creative game wins, most of the time, that is!  The energy wasted in emotional outbursts and violent reactions by the player, fans, or others can and should always be put to better use.  As I was explaining in an earlier note, a failure or loss is always a learning opportunity to find our weaknesses.  So, we should develop a habit of appreciating these precious opportunities.

Go Bombers

A team who wins all the time does not grow or learn much from its victories, does it?  I tell this to my kids every chance I get.  Some of the most outstanding athletes I have ever seem often illustrate this principle by learning from their losses and channeling their energy to improve their athletic and creative skills.  Michael Jordan comes to mind as a prime example of such an athlete.  Author and sports Psychologist Terry Orlick talks about this and much more in his book "In Pursuit of Excellence" for those who might be interested in reading more.