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Sports is one of the very few things people can totally devote themselves to without being threatened. You can talk about sports at work without worrying about

Sports is one of the very few things people can totally devote themselves to without being threatened. You can talk about sports at work without worrying about getting fired. You can talk about sports at a party and not lose friends. At least you used to be able to. The more sports wanders from just sports into social, political, or even partisan issues, the less it is actually about sports. Associating these other things with sports destroys the value. It makes it so sport is no longer an escape, but instead becomes yet another politicized venue. Here's some other interesting theories as to why ESPN is having trouble. http://thefederalist.com/2017/04/26/the-real-story-behind-espns-wednesday-massacre/ http://thefederalist.com/2017/04/26/the-real-story-behind-es...

acchow 10y ago
People also talk about music without worrying about getting fired. And traveling. And normal, everyday things in life. I rarely talk sports with anyone...
- megablast 10y ago
  And movies. And books. In fact, there are only a few things you can't and shouldn't talk about at work.
  - wiredfool 10y ago
    Oh god. Ix-nay on the macs-eay discussion/holy war.
  - humanrebar 10y ago
    > there are only a few things you can't and shouldn't talk about at work Just the most important things in life: family structure, pregnancy, race, God, health issues, etc. List all the things that are inappropriate to talk about in an interview. Then realize they come up again when you are a candidate for a new promotion or transfer. Plus, increasingly employers are taking positions on things. We don't exactly call them out on that.
- syshum 10y ago
  I walk out of the room when sports comes up.... No Interest in it at all...
specializeded 10y ago
American sports commentary focusing on politics may be relatively new, but sports and politics have always been friends. I think in terms of pro sports in America everything's a bit artificial (maybe because of being regional entities) and less political, but at the collegiate level the politics fly. Who you support says a lot about your family and background, especially if you all aren't direct grads. Compare fans of Georgia Tech vs Georgia, or Texas vs Texas A&M. California vs Fresno st, etc.
- vertex-four 10y ago
  > sports and politics have always been friends See also - Celtic vs Rangers, which is for historical reasons a proxy for a variety of political disagreements (Protestant vs Catholic, Loyalist vs Republican, etc) for some fans.
  - specializeded 10y ago
    Oh man absolutely! That's why I used college sports, I think they're our closest equivalent to club culture like that. Figured they were American and tried to make it relatable
metaphorm 10y ago
Sports has always been political. I'm not sure why you think it isn't or hasn't been. Jackie Robinson's career is the most famous historical example of this. There are many others.

acchow 10y ago

People also talk about music without worrying about getting fired. And traveling. And normal, everyday things in life. I rarely talk sports with anyone...

megablast 10y ago
And movies. And books. In fact, there are only a few things you can't and shouldn't talk about at work.
- wiredfool 10y ago
  Oh god. Ix-nay on the macs-eay discussion/holy war.
- humanrebar 10y ago
  > there are only a few things you can't and shouldn't talk about at work Just the most important things in life: family structure, pregnancy, race, God, health issues, etc. List all the things that are inappropriate to talk about in an interview. Then realize they come up again when you are a candidate for a new promotion or transfer. Plus, increasingly employers are taking positions on things. We don't exactly call them out on that.
syshum 10y ago
I walk out of the room when sports comes up.... No Interest in it at all...

specializeded 10y ago

American sports commentary focusing on politics may be relatively new, but sports and politics have always been friends. I think in terms of pro sports in America everything's a bit artificial (maybe because of being regional entities) and less political, but at the collegiate level the politics fly. Who you support says a lot about your family and background, especially if you all aren't direct grads. Compare fans of Georgia Tech vs Georgia, or Texas vs Texas A&M. California vs Fresno st, etc.

vertex-four 10y ago
> sports and politics have always been friends See also - Celtic vs Rangers, which is for historical reasons a proxy for a variety of political disagreements (Protestant vs Catholic, Loyalist vs Republican, etc) for some fans.
- specializeded 10y ago
  Oh man absolutely! That's why I used college sports, I think they're our closest equivalent to club culture like that. Figured they were American and tried to make it relatable

metaphorm 10y ago

Sports has always been political. I'm not sure why you think it isn't or hasn't been. Jackie Robinson's career is the most famous historical example of this. There are many others.