3 ms·

You’re not wrong, but you have a bit of a dismal look at it. Sports, like other forms of entertainment, are a sign of culture, and culture is the touchstone of

You’re not wrong, but you have a bit of a dismal look at it. Sports, like other forms of entertainment, are a sign of culture, and culture is the touchstone of a good workforce. Just like it’s important to take short breaks in the office, even small amounts of entertainment is important to keep us happy and focused. Large events, such as the Olympics and Oscars, give a pattern to the years, something to talk about and look forward to. They provide cohesion and fraternity. The Olympics staying up isn’t a higher priority than health, but it’s a mighty sign of things going wrong when they’re not being hosted. Plus, y’know, a lot of problems have been solved, so these kind of events provide jobs and boost local and global economies.

jfkebwjsbx 7y ago
To be honest, I have never seen sports as "culture". Neither the Oscars. They are just PR events in this day and age. By the way, hosting the Olympics does not boost the local economy. Quite the opposite, in fact, at least in many cases. They are a heavy loss and increase in debt for almost every city that did it, as well as detrimental for the environment overall. Governments do it as a long term investment in publicity.
- unethical_ban 7y ago
  Well there is the big difference - you don't see sports as culture. What is culture to you?
  - jfkebwjsbx 7y ago
    Education, science, art, "enlightenment"... Giving awards in a posh ceremony to commercial movies and running very fast for a medal does not sound like any of those to me. Yes, sports are a very big deal in many countries. Fancy social gatherings too. Neither means necessarily "culture".
- obmelvin 7y ago
  > To be honest, I have never seen sports as "culture". As always it is extremely important to remember that your culture is not everyones' culture!!! You may not view sports as any sort of culture and as far as I'm concerned that's totally fine. But I would say that I feel connected to running "culture", and I dare you to try telling an Italian 'ultra' (soccer super fan) that their sport is not part of their culture ;)

jfkebwjsbx 7y ago

To be honest, I have never seen sports as "culture". Neither the Oscars. They are just PR events in this day and age. By the way, hosting the Olympics does not boost the local economy. Quite the opposite, in fact, at least in many cases. They are a heavy loss and increase in debt for almost every city that did it, as well as detrimental for the environment overall. Governments do it as a long term investment in publicity.

unethical_ban 7y ago
Well there is the big difference - you don't see sports as culture. What is culture to you?
- jfkebwjsbx 7y ago
  Education, science, art, "enlightenment"... Giving awards in a posh ceremony to commercial movies and running very fast for a medal does not sound like any of those to me. Yes, sports are a very big deal in many countries. Fancy social gatherings too. Neither means necessarily "culture".
obmelvin 7y ago
> To be honest, I have never seen sports as "culture". As always it is extremely important to remember that your culture is not everyones' culture!!! You may not view sports as any sort of culture and as far as I'm concerned that's totally fine. But I would say that I feel connected to running "culture", and I dare you to try telling an Italian 'ultra' (soccer super fan) that their sport is not part of their culture ;)