violence and sports

I already put up some random thoughts about violence and the media but I thought I would add some more here. While I was playing golf yesterday, it occurred to me that sports is one place where violence has not changed in the past few decades. Society seems to encourage violence or at least the perception of violence during sporting events. I think that I have a fairly mild temper, except when I am playing or watching sports. I throw things like clubs or balls during golf and swear like a sailor at the slightest bad shot. Watching my favorite teams can be even worse. I think last year's Illini basketball team raised my blood pressure double digits, while the added strain of watching my fantasy baseball team every day during the spring does little to reduce my stress level. It seems strange that something that is supposed to be relaxing can feel so stressful. While there are groups that attack the violent nature of sports, most anti-violence groups are more interested in other aspects of society. However, it seems to me that our sports culture is an important indicator of how violence is actually viewed on the deepest level in our society. "Professional" wrestling, football, and game shows such as "American Gladiators" play to America's need for competition but lace those games with heavy doses of violence. I am not advocating for less violence in these sports, but rather that we need to teach our children that there is a clear and discernible difference between what occurs on the field and reality. I think I am a perfect example of someone that allows the violence on the screen or in my own golf game to affect my actual mood (probably raising my blood pressure and an eventual heart attack before I hit 40). There was a question for this week about censorship, which I am against. What I am for is making sure we explain that what happens on the screen or when we go to a football game does not necessarily have any relation to our own personal lives. It is a difficult concept to grasp for many kids, but it is a key point, at least in my opinion, in fostering media literacy.

Here is a fun video of kids that seem to have little grasp of reality.