5 ms·

Sport is not so much a modern relaxation as a new religion; and is more serious and unsmiling even than most new religions. - G. K. Chesterton

rgoulter 6y ago
"Sports is to war as pornography is to sex." — Jonathan Haidt
- Cro_on 6y ago
  Except that the universal adoption of sports would result in a net positive. The same cannot be said for pornography. Also it makes just as much sense like this: 'sports is to sex as pornography is to war.'
  - RugnirViking 6y ago
    Presumably that is because war is bad and sex is not bad?
  - shoes_for_thee 6y ago
    It's easy to miss the point of any analogy if you try hard enough.
  - edgarvaldes 6y ago
    I think it referes to the spectactle aspect of sports
  - webmaven 6y ago
    > Except that the universal adoption of sports would result in a net positive. The same cannot be said for pornography. By adoption of sports, do you mean universal participation or spectation? The former I suppose would be a net positive, if you limit the requirement to just making sure everyone does at least some physical activity every day, but if you mean that everyone should be required to play some sport as a significant pastime the negatives start reducing the net positive. If the latter, I must vehemently disagree. We would probably be better off banning spectator sports entirely rather than making everyone watch.
    - Cro_on 6y ago
      Just a quick way to say that I think a little exercise goes a long way :)
arethuza 6y ago
Not sure it is that new - Constantinople had feuding groups who supported different chariot racing teams. As a Scot I can't help be amused that the greatest rivalry was between the Blues and Greens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Firm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Firm
- idolaspecus 6y ago
  I can’t help but take this chance to recommend Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sailing to Sarantium. It’s an absolute masterpiece of a novel set in Byzantium just after the Nika Riots; the chariot races and Blue/Green dynamic play a big role in the plot. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104097.Sailing_to_Sarantium https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104097.Sailing_to_Sarant...
  - arethuza 6y ago
    I can recommend Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22711736-istanbul https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22711736-istanbul

rgoulter 6y ago

"Sports is to war as pornography is to sex." — Jonathan Haidt

Cro_on 6y ago
Except that the universal adoption of sports would result in a net positive. The same cannot be said for pornography. Also it makes just as much sense like this: 'sports is to sex as pornography is to war.'
- RugnirViking 6y ago
  Presumably that is because war is bad and sex is not bad?
- shoes_for_thee 6y ago
  It's easy to miss the point of any analogy if you try hard enough.
- edgarvaldes 6y ago
  I think it referes to the spectactle aspect of sports
- webmaven 6y ago
  > Except that the universal adoption of sports would result in a net positive. The same cannot be said for pornography. By adoption of sports, do you mean universal participation or spectation? The former I suppose would be a net positive, if you limit the requirement to just making sure everyone does at least some physical activity every day, but if you mean that everyone should be required to play some sport as a significant pastime the negatives start reducing the net positive. If the latter, I must vehemently disagree. We would probably be better off banning spectator sports entirely rather than making everyone watch.
  - Cro_on 6y ago
    Just a quick way to say that I think a little exercise goes a long way :)

arethuza 6y ago

Not sure it is that new - Constantinople had feuding groups who supported different chariot racing teams. As a Scot I can't help be amused that the greatest rivalry was between the Blues and Greens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nika_riots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Firm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Firm

idolaspecus 6y ago
I can’t help but take this chance to recommend Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sailing to Sarantium. It’s an absolute masterpiece of a novel set in Byzantium just after the Nika Riots; the chariot races and Blue/Green dynamic play a big role in the plot. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104097.Sailing_to_Sarantium https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104097.Sailing_to_Sarant...
- arethuza 6y ago
  I can recommend Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22711736-istanbul https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22711736-istanbul