Sport Is War

Much to our chagrin, as a species mankind loves war. But the good news is: we have sports and board games to live out our impulses for world conquest vicariously. Whether it is the Olympics, the World Cup, the Super Bowl or, in a more abstract way, badminton or golf, every game is a substitute for the warrior in us all. Chess and checkers are obvious analogies. But whether it is the game of Risk, after all “everybody wants to rule the world," or Sorry, every game is a war. Baseball is just a more abstract analogy then football. But the seriousness in which the sports fan approaches his hobby is intense. This commentary is partly a memoir combined with many history lessons, including the origins of baseball, football, basketball and much more -- including photos on the topic at hand. In modern times, the male of the species does not have to worry about Apaches scalping his loved ones. Attila the Hun won’t be raiding his village. We don’t hunt deer to put food on the table anymore. We go off to our cubbyholes and make our Excel spread sheets and drive home telling ourselves we are still men. How do we cope? We follow our warrior quarterbacks on Monday night as they general their teams into enemy territory. This vicarious hero worship is healthy for us. We make war but nobody has to get killed. Finally sport is war but, war is not sport. Our fathers saved the world from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. It had to be done. However, in my lifetime America has fought in many wars, yet; every one of them undeclared. Viet Nam has become a synonym for a boondoggle. Furthermore, Iraq is Viet Nam squared. The future holds many serious challenges for mankind. Evil doers must be confronted no doubt. Still America, and by this I mean Congress, must think long and hard before committing to war. It isn’t a game.