The Presentation of Humanity in Sports & Entertainment
Many fans of United States sports see them purely as entertainment, and not the competitive and collaborative activities that they’ve become. And while that is the normal or intended attitude, the disconnect manifests itself in the ways people talk about sports and their athletes.
Fans will tell players to take their own lives for not scoring enough points or grabbing too many rebounds, and it seems the view is that these athletes exist solely for human amusement. That their purpose is to entertain, as static characters in people’s lives, and if they fail to entertain they become useless to society.
Most don’t respect or acknowledge the fact that athletes are putting their minds and bodies on the line for an activity that they’ve grown to love deeply. Not only this, but because we have to earn a living in this country, that activity and their value within it is how they feed themselves and their families. But to those sitting at home, they’re “being paid millions of dollars to play a game,” so any complaints or concerns from the athletes will not be treated with any respect.
The NFL has been known for it’s refusal to acknowledge the issues of a particular form of brain damage commonly found in former players, but action from the players has influenced new policy in the last few years. A notable addition is the “guardian cap” which players are allowed to wear on their helmets in games to provide added protection for their heads. The response was seemingly negative and fans publicly slammed players for their use, even though it made them significantly safer. This highlights just how disconnected a lot of the audience has become with recognizing the humanity that exists within these sports.
How could you love and appreciate a sport and it’s athletes, and have negative feelings towards anything that greatly benefits their safety? In fact for the players, being safer allows them to play more games for more years and provide even more entertainment, so the fans actually end up winning in the end. But fans are so zoomed in on the way that these sports make them feel and what they provide for their own life, that considering the athletes and what’s in their best interest isn’t top of mind.
People showcase that same disconnect with other entertainers as well. For example, last year, fans of Chappell Roan tried to crucify her on the internet for cancelling shows due to her overwhelming stress and mental health concerns. To me, when someone tells you that they’re not doing okay, naturally, the first response should be one of compassion for their well-being. But in the case of her fans, it comes down to the fact that they’re no longer going to receive the anticipated entertainment from the artist, along with everything that came with it (the social media posts, the story they’ll be able to tell, and the overall experience, of course).
How can you love and be a fan of an artist and human being while contributing to their destruction as they tell you they’re not doing okay? How backwards is that? Do you even care if they live? Then these are the same people who will post on social media about how much mental health matters once an artist passes, and how they were “gone too soon”.
We watched this happen with Whitney Houston, as popular American shows like Family Guy and SNL made jokes about her being addicted to drugs, and portraying her as a bum during the lowest moments of her life. This was an American icon, who made millions of people happy with her performances and her voice, and even sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1991. But in her darkest hour where was the love? She was turned into a cheap joke for ratings on television, she was demeaned by the media, and she was kicked while she was down.
Many people don’t actually love and appreciate the entertainers, they just love being entertained by them. And often times they like that it’s a person they feel they can connect to for a moment, but they still perceive them as an “other”, unlike themselves.
Recently, an NBA player by the name of Bradley Beal was being heckled so disrespectfully during a game, that his son, who was sitting court side with Beal’s wife, started crying and his mother had to step in. This is what I mean when I say that your value as a person who just happens to deeply love a sport, or an art form, and happens to have an audience, is contingent upon how well you can entertain or perform in the context of it.
The person that heckled Bradley Beal from the crowd is supposed to be a fan of the sport, who should want to see players perform well, who appreciates the sport and loves to watch. But instead the fans are largely comprised of people that don’t really care about the sport or the people playing them, and they just want to either be entertained, make some money off of the athletes, or both. And that’s why a lot of the discourse on social media in regards to sports is heavily influenced by narratives, because it’s just entertainment to people.
But in defense of these people, that’s all that they might be looking for within sports or other forms of entertainment so it makes sense to see value in that function exclusively. The same way that I expect my barber to cut my hair and I don’t really expect anything else from him, so his place in my life might be contingent on his ability to cut my hair well. If he starts to do a bad job, then it’s in my best interest to get a new barber, but I still have no need to be disrespectful. I would still view and value him as an individual to be treated with the same level of respect that I treat everyone else with.
I just think we could approach sports and entertainment with a bit more compassion and an awareness that behind these characters are human beings who deserve the same respect that we all do. If you want these people to be better at their jobs you should try encouraging them, showing support for them and being a true fan, because we all deserve well-being and success. And true support means being there through the highs and the lows. But especially the lows.
What is your profession?
