post class fang

Last class got on the topic of propaganda and sports and John Moffitt (picture below), a lineman for the Broncos (who have been having a great season and are potentially Super Bowl bound) left the NFL and millions of dollars to be made after reading Chomsky and the Dalai Lama. While we, as a class, were cynical as to his true intention behind leaving and whether or not his reason was "valid," I thought extensively as to how football and other sporting events really make us passive.

Growing up, 8-9 times a year, I got to go see the Baltimore Ravens play at M&T Bank Stadium and it was awesome. One of my favorite parts as a kid was shouting "sucks" (a crude word for that time in my life) with the 60,000+ person crowd. I did not have the cognitive reasoning ability to know about mob mentality and propaganda as a child; I just liked the one time a week my dad let me say suck until I was 12 or so.
It dawned on me that football stadiums and mob mentality is a much bigger thing than we realize as it completely dehumanizes the away team and referees and puts the home team on a pedestal. You don't realize during the game that the away team players thousands shout "suck" at are just people who have a job to do and also have families and friends. In the stadium, however, you are encapsulated in the game and the notion that it is "us vs. them." Furthermore, the booing at a referee who is also just doing their job is no different than bullying and yet it is encouraged at the game. Obviously, the propaganda put forth in a football game is not the most damaging to society, but it certainly blurs the line when it comes to showing others respect.
The more damaging propaganda in sports is the elevation of the stars to some level where they are flawless. In Baltimore, this happens to Ray Lewis: a Ravens star, Super Bowl MVP, and accused murderer before Super Bowl 2000. Ray Lewis has led the NFL in pancakes, sacks, and tackles which made it hard for Ravens fans to see Ray as anything less than a hero. While many were upset at his actions, it certainly did not affect how he was received when he stepped on the football field (see his famed pre-game dance below).

 At the very least, sport propaganda does blur the lines of right and wrong and sets a double standard for its stars. Having said that, Ray Lewis is still a Raven and a star.