Professional sports today carry a fanbase dedicated to a new and “total fanaticism.” This “total fanaticism” detaches the sports fan from objective scrutiny of social issues in and out of the sports arena, providing a false community of sports team worshippers forgiving of sports “sins” so long as victory is reached. This paper will examine the sports community as alienated fanatics, forgiving of national decline but not forgiving of a losing season. This “fetishism” of team supercedes social justice as a cultural theme, and elite-billionaire owners, mass culture purveyors such as television networks, video game companies, tee-shirt,memorabilia and sports paraphernalia merchants, political candidates, all market this fanaticism to the detriment of the public good. This paper will examine this phenomenon.
About the presenterEric Lichten
Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Long Island University Post.