Guest Post by CJL: The Role of Sports in the Modern Context

From a philosophical perspective, the infatuation and obsession with sports seems a bit strange. On a surface level they mainly involve two teams attempting to move some sort of ball or object across a line, through a hoop or in a hole. However, these games evoke immense passion, draw massive crowds and inspire almost a religious fervor in one’s favorite team.

What can explain this all?

Is there more than meets the eye?

In this guest post CJL provides some insight into my questions, and explains how we find meaning in sports.

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation
Plato

It’s 9 a.m. on a crisp fall Sunday morning in a midsized American city and tens of thousands of people have already gathered in coordinating colours to perform a day long ritual of eating, drinking and reciting ceremonial chants that have been passed down through generations. These circumstances could depict a religious ceremony or holiday festival. However, in this particular case, in the outskirts of Pittsburg, Kansas City, Houston, Seattle or a few dozen other locations, the community has gathered to spend the day watching football. It’s undeniable that sports have an impact that permeates through society in a way that nothing else can, it creates bonds and rivalries that can unite or divide over the course of decades. There must be more to this phenomenon than watching a group of athletes compete to put a ball into a net or run across an arbitrary line.

Sports, for both the athlete and the underlying fanbase, create a healthy medium for us to channel our natural tendencies towards competition and aggression. The origins of sport are believed to have developed as an offshoot of military training and included events such as wrestling, boxing, and running. The first Olympics occurred in 776BC and provided an outlet for the various city states of Ancient Greece to channel their nationalism in a healthy and competitive way. These athletes were not making tens of millions of dollars per year instead competing solely for pride and the “teams” they played for. Although these events would have been considered brutish by today’s standard and occasionally led to serious bodily injury and death, the Olympics and origins of sports provided a much healthier alternative to the constant state of war that was a condition of the times.

Lacrosse is considered to be one of the oldest North American team sports. In the traditional form of the game, Native American tribes of hundreds of men would play on a field miles long in games that could last days. Even in these early times, the tribe leaders understood that this was a healthy outlet for their members to express pride in their community and channel the need for competition. Similar to the ancient Olympics, the game was not without risk often leading to disfigurement or death, but it still acted as progressive alternative to warfare. In the Mohawk language, lacrosse is referred to as “Tewaaraton” which translates to “little brother of war.” The community impact and involvement extended far beyond the athletes as there were also roles for shamans, healers, and many ceremonial rituals leading up to the games. There was also material impacts as wagers between the tribes were placed on the outcomes.

Although the consequences of modern sports are not as significant, many of the same sentiments and emotions have continued to this day. Take for example the recent Euro Cup, which pits the top European national soccer teams against each other over a month long competition to determine which country will hold bragging rights for the next four years. The nationalism and emotion that is created from this event extends far beyond the players, organizations, and even the individual nations. When Italy won, a unifying celebration took place across the country for days following the penalty shootout. The impact was much more widespread and global as similar parties could be found in Toronto, New Jersey, Argentina, and many other countries around the world which host an Italian diaspora. The modern Olympics are regarded as a global unifying event in which nations send their best athletes to compete for the title of world’s best. The contemporary state of the Olympics often pits the two world super powers of China and the USA in a race for superiority to see who can collect the most medals before the closing ceremonies. There are also significant financial outcomes for the athlete and national Olympic federations based on the results. This a healthier form of competition than allowing nationalism to manifest itself in a military context.

While professional and international sports play an important role in allowing nations and communities to channel their competitive nature and pride in a healthy way, participation in them also has a significant impact in personal development. Enrolling a child in a sport is one of the best ways for them to learn how to function within a group environment, how to win or lose graciously, and how to deal with challenges. Children who compete in competitive sports learn much more than how to dribble a basketball, shoot a hockey puck or putt a golf ball. What the environment is actually fostering is an ability to handle stress and battle through adversity which will greatly benefit them in future careers and life situations. We are seeing an attack on many of these fundamental principles as people argue that it is inappropriate for youth sports to award winners and losers instead promoting the idea that all kids deserve a trophy regardless of performance. This may have detrimental impacts on children as they become entitled and unable to understand the value of hard work and perseverance. The narrative of the comeback or underdog story is one of the most enthralling in sports and should not be watered down in the name of equality of outcomes.

The phrase, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying” was coined by the late wrestler Eddie Guerrero. While competition and the desire to win is the central motivation of sports, there must also be some level of ethics and respect for the game. Sports can only function when there is a universally agreed upon set of rules and norms that all athletes abide by to ensure a fair competition. The topic of steroids in sports draws a lot of controversy as these drugs allow athletes to compete at a superior level, but simultaneously subjugate the user to a greater risk of injury and potential for long term damage. It is for this reason, in addition to maintaining the integrity of the game, that most professional leagues ban the use of the performance enhancing substances. The debate over whether sports are worth the risk of bodily harm has also flared up within youth sports. In games which involve risk of injury, such as hockey or football, there are contrasting opinions over whether children should be given the opportunity to choose to compete. In Ontario, this debate has led the governing body to raise the age at which body checking is allowed in hockey. There will always be some risk competing in these activities. However, it is important to remember that this is a healthy avenue to channel aggression and competition through.

Whether or not the nationalism that sports conjures up, if athletes are overpaid and overvalued for their roles in society, and if children should be provided the opportunity to compete in activities which could potentially cause them harm are all up for debate within the modern context. However, if our human nature does in fact include a need for tribalism and competition, there may be no better avenue to channel this through. This idea, along with the opportunity for individual and community development, shows that sports do in fact play a key function within our modern society and will continue to do so in the future. It is now Sunday afternoon and the nearly 100,000 fans that have packed into the Steelers, Chiefs, Texans and Seahawks stadiums, along with millions watching at home would certainly agree.

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The Meaning of Yin and Yang

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Night and day. Light and darkness. Masculine and Feminine. Chaos and order.

Life is comprised of a series of interconnected opposing forces. Everything that exists has an opposite, just as there is always two sides to the same coin.

Although we are inclined to seek pleasure without pain or cling onto the ‘good’ while banishing the ‘bad’, we come to realize the flawed logic of this kind of thinking. Anything worth pursuing is associated with risk and uncertainty. Even when our ambitions come to fruition, the unpredictability and continual flux of the world implies that there is always a chance that whatever we attained can be lost.

Our fortune can change at any instant.

A key insight we can learn from Taoism is that the positive or negative or ‘good’ and ‘bad’ should not be thought of as distinct or separate. Rather, they are integrated into one cohesive system.

You can’t have one without the other.

We see this concept alluded to in the brilliant lyrical language of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet,

Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any miseries, or any depressions? For after all, you do not know what work these conditions are doing inside you….. If there is anything unhealthy in your reactions, just bear in mind that sickness is the means by which an organism frees itself from what is alien; so one must simply help it to be sick, to have its whole sickness and to break out with it, since that is the way it gets better.

In many cases it is easy to rush to judgements about our fortune and fate. What may seem like an unfortunate set of circumstances, may be the exact prescription or ‘wake up call’ one needs to make important life changes to move us forward. The artist of course is acutely aware of this and cleverly transforms the experience of heartbreak and loss into music or art. Think of how many hit songs are about loss or breakups.

Yin/Yang Symbol

The yin and yang symbol beautifully depicts this relationship between opposites hinting at the harmony between these two elements.

Yin: The black part of the symbol is associated with the night, darkness, passivity, intuition and the feminine.

Yang: The white part of the circle represents the day, light, liveliness and vigor as well as the masculine. [1]

As seen in the picture above, the yin and yang are intertwined and connected. The small black dot (yin) can be found in the white area while the white dot (yang) is situated in the black space. Just like a scale, the more one tips towards one of these halves the less they get of the other.

Moreover, each is a part of the greater whole and there is no concrete nor clearly defined separation between them, as signified by the wavy line splitting the two poles. As the symbol suggests the yin and yang are not static representing the fact that our lives and the world are continually in a state of constant change.

Unity and Division

Our understanding of how the world operates is shaped by the contrast and distinction between opposites. As Lao Tsu points out in chapter 2 of the Tao Te Ching,

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.

All can know good as good only because there is evil.

Therefore having and not having arise together.

Difficult and easy complement each other.

Long and short contrast each other:

High and low rest upon each other;

Voice and sound harmonize each other;

Front and back follow one another.

The above passage from Lao Tsu demonstrates that we can’t comprehend something without having a grasp of what its opposite is.

We understand what happiness is because it contrasts with the possibility of sadness, just as we know we know what pleasure is because we have an idea of what constitutes pain.

The yin and yang cannot be separated and one of these poles in the system cannot exist without the other. The concept of hsiang sheng alludes to the fact that the yin and yang are inseparable and arise together. We shouldn’t think of one of these poles as better or superior, rather the idea is to understand that balance between the opposites is the goal.

The yin and yang aren’t enemies, but partners engaged in a playful dance.

This requires us to call into question many of preconceived notions of what we think of as good and bad.

Only through openness and acceptance we can be content with whatever arises in our life.

[1] As Alan Watts notes in Tao: The Watercourse Way we shouldn’t think of the use of the terms masculine and feminine as referring explicitly to the different sexes, but rather more general characteristics. He writes, “ But the male individual must not neglect his female component, nor the female her male….The yin and yang are principles, not men and women.”

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Beyond Language: A Taoist Perspective

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As I watch my niece slowly learn her first few words, I am reminded of the importance of language. After all, there is only so much you can communicate to a person with ‘mamma’, ‘pappa’ and ‘ball’. Although other species have their own unique ways of interacting with each other, the sophistication of human language has enabled us to share ideas, thoughts and emotions leading to the development of complex societies and cultures.

Nonetheless, we must also keep in mind that no language is perfect in fully representing our internal subjective experience or the continual dynamic flux of the external world. Although it is extremely useful, language is always limited in portraying reality which is constantly changing and evolving. This is what Lao Tsu is alluding to in the famous opening lines of the Tao Te Ching,

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The Limits of Language

To understand his point, let’s look at an example. Two men are in love with a woman. The first is very articulate with a strong command over the English language. He is able to craft exquisite love letters and court her with his beautifully spoken prose. The second, although his love for the women is no less sincere, struggles to find the right words to express his emotions.

It would be wrong to say that the first man’s affection is any greater or is more genuine. Rather, he is just more skilled in the nuances and intricacies of this given language.

We are always restricted by the language(s) that we speak. Take for instance the commonly used word ‘love’ in English. The term is used to describe a myriad of different things. One could use it to describe their desire for a piece of chocolate cake, while another individual can use can use it to express their deep affection for their spouse.

On the contrary, the ancient Greeks had used different words to more precisely describe the unique meanings and connotations of the idea of love. For instance, ‘philia’ represents friendship and companionship, ‘eros’ signifies passion or intimate love, while ‘agape’ means unconditional love alluding to the warmth and care a mother has for her child. Having a wider array of terminology available allows you to speak with more accuracy and precision.

The key point is that language and concepts slice up reality into fragments, ultimately affecting how we see and make sense of things. While useful, the concepts we use and rely on during our day to day lives to make sense of things can never fully characterize the complexity of our experience.

It can point towards meaning, but can never capture the complete essence of what is being said. The issue arises when we make the mistake of confusing abstractions and thoughts with reality itself.

As the philosopher Alan Watts describes in Tao: The Watercourse Way,

There is no way of putting a stream in a bucket or the wind in a bag. Verbal description and definition may be compared to the latitudinal and longitudinal nets which we visualize upon the earth and heavens to define and enclose the positions of mountains and lakes, planets and stars…. For the game of Western philosophy and science is to trap the universe in the networks of words and numbers so that there is always the temptation to confuse the rules, or laws of grammar and mathematics with the actual operation of nature.

Defining the Sacred

As I mentioned in my last article, the Tao can be thought of as the ‘way’, source or principle which drives the universe.

Although there are important differences between the Tao and the Judeo-Christian God[1], there is a similar logic in resisting classification of the divine. As the sociologist Erich Fromm writes in To Have or to Be ?,

The God of the Old Testament, is first of all a negation of idols, of gods one can have…God must not have a name; no image must be made of God.

Every time we put labels and classify things into discrete categories, we turn the infinite into the finite making something into an object that we can possess. The beauty and mystery is lost as the divine turns into an idol or abstraction.

Rather than imposing our will and social conventions on the world, Taoism invites us to be receptive to the ultimate mystery of life – to welcome the spontaneous flow of existence and live-in harmony with nature. To accept things as they are as opposed to the way they ought to be.

Thus, in the Tao Te Ching Lao Tsu continually reminds to be open and receptive to the energy, forces and current of the universe; to embrace stillness and let life flow through you.

Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still
Tao Te Ching

Experiential Knowledge

If we can’t fully understand the nature of things through language, models or concepts, what are we to turn to?

Taoism emphasizes intuition or tacit knowledge. That is, knowing through direct experience, by getting the ‘feel of it’ and directly participating in the activity. Tacit or experiential knowledge is that which is difficult to express verbally or in written form.

You can’t learn to ride a bike just by reading an instruction manual just as one can’t adequately learn a language by studying its grammar.

You have to actively and routinely engage in and participate in these activities to be able to get a firm grasp over them.

Conclusion

The illusive and esoteric ideas of Taoism remind us that the world is a far more mysterious place than we may imagine.

I can not be certain if this article has explained the concept of the Tao accurately, but then again words can only get you so far. It is the role of the poet, author or artist to go beyond the confines of words – to make you understand at a deeper level what is attempting to be said.

Perhaps next time you find yourself in a state of awe or wonder, or become immersed in an activity and lose yourself in a state of flow, you will have a better idea of what I mean.

[1] Unlike the Judeo-Christian God, the Tao is not something that has direct authority/control over the universe nor something to be worshipped.

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