Compete and Succeed
Lately I've been thinking of the culture/pyschology/sociology of 'sports'...
I recently saw Riding Giants and Dogtown and Z-boys (SideNote for prg: prgretchin really enjoyed some of the surfing in riding giants and really asked some neat questions). Note the latter is not the more recent fictionalized version Lords of Dogtown, though I want to see this too.
When I was younger I tried surfing, baseball, and basketball but as I got older I enjoyed a range of combatative sports from martials arts/kickboxing, football, wrestling, rugby, and Scottish games (strongman type). Even now I enjoy my time working out, whether it be lifting, swimming, or throwing.
The movie made me think how there is an entire culture for athletes. Several items I consider are:
1. The idea of excellence in that culture. The idea that you push past your limit to reach your pinnacle of achievement. There is always a price to be paid, and most pain in blood, sweat, and tears. How do you push to the limit, but make sure you don't go beyond and destroy your body. The human body is amazing, we can push well beyong what most perceive as limits.
2. Being a rebel. In a manner the physical and primitive aspect of the sport makes one feel in some ways like an outcast. You are honing your body, but for what? Hunting? Gathering? Combat? War? That primitive spirit (or adrenaline) that infuses you makes you feel incredible...but it is primal. I think that feeling makes you feel like you are doing something you shouldn't. That may be why some athletes overplay this concept - 'I'm the bad boy','I'll crush your skull', etc. This feeling is great with pioneer or rogue sports like when surfing or skateboarding started. You had to have a toughened demeanor to do what society considered useless. Just doing what you think is pushin' the edge and not caring about what others think. Hmm...Sorry I gather I'm not being clear about this concept, but this is the best I can describe it.
3. Conflict of comradarie versus competition. This concept ties in with number 1 above. First you are competing with the opposing person/team to win. You need your best at that moment to be better than their best within the rules of the competition. If it is a team event, you need cooperativity so that your team's best efforts are better than the opposing team's best efforts. Furthermore, within the team you drive to be recognized and even compete against your fellow teammates to be better (will you be drafted if you aren't as good as them, will the audience notice you if your teammate has an outstanding day, etc). In the big picture both comradarie and competition serve a purpose, but they can be the source of conflict (as exagerrated in many sport movies).
Ultimately, I find it intriguing that a group can come together with comradarie, exists as a band of rebels competing against each other, then continue to compete as a group and be dominant over others, only to be disbanded because the group they created is so great in the field that they are hired in completely different regions. This in essence breaks up the core band of excellence. I guess, sometimes, you need to be in the right place at the right time.
Maybe that is why I love sports so much...I'm a rebel with a cause...
word,
toxins
I recently saw Riding Giants and Dogtown and Z-boys (SideNote for prg: prgretchin really enjoyed some of the surfing in riding giants and really asked some neat questions). Note the latter is not the more recent fictionalized version Lords of Dogtown, though I want to see this too.
When I was younger I tried surfing, baseball, and basketball but as I got older I enjoyed a range of combatative sports from martials arts/kickboxing, football, wrestling, rugby, and Scottish games (strongman type). Even now I enjoy my time working out, whether it be lifting, swimming, or throwing.
The movie made me think how there is an entire culture for athletes. Several items I consider are:
1. The idea of excellence in that culture. The idea that you push past your limit to reach your pinnacle of achievement. There is always a price to be paid, and most pain in blood, sweat, and tears. How do you push to the limit, but make sure you don't go beyond and destroy your body. The human body is amazing, we can push well beyong what most perceive as limits.
2. Being a rebel. In a manner the physical and primitive aspect of the sport makes one feel in some ways like an outcast. You are honing your body, but for what? Hunting? Gathering? Combat? War? That primitive spirit (or adrenaline) that infuses you makes you feel incredible...but it is primal. I think that feeling makes you feel like you are doing something you shouldn't. That may be why some athletes overplay this concept - 'I'm the bad boy','I'll crush your skull', etc. This feeling is great with pioneer or rogue sports like when surfing or skateboarding started. You had to have a toughened demeanor to do what society considered useless. Just doing what you think is pushin' the edge and not caring about what others think. Hmm...Sorry I gather I'm not being clear about this concept, but this is the best I can describe it.
3. Conflict of comradarie versus competition. This concept ties in with number 1 above. First you are competing with the opposing person/team to win. You need your best at that moment to be better than their best within the rules of the competition. If it is a team event, you need cooperativity so that your team's best efforts are better than the opposing team's best efforts. Furthermore, within the team you drive to be recognized and even compete against your fellow teammates to be better (will you be drafted if you aren't as good as them, will the audience notice you if your teammate has an outstanding day, etc). In the big picture both comradarie and competition serve a purpose, but they can be the source of conflict (as exagerrated in many sport movies).
Ultimately, I find it intriguing that a group can come together with comradarie, exists as a band of rebels competing against each other, then continue to compete as a group and be dominant over others, only to be disbanded because the group they created is so great in the field that they are hired in completely different regions. This in essence breaks up the core band of excellence. I guess, sometimes, you need to be in the right place at the right time.
Maybe that is why I love sports so much...I'm a rebel with a cause...
word,
toxins