“Even a hundred and fifty years ago, football was popular because it provided a manly spectacle that lots of men needed, after the industrial revolution. We went from a culture that lived out doors and expanded the frontier and fought the Indians to a bunch of guys in offices. So football provided this jolt, a kind of exalted cult of masculinity. And it still does that. Perhaps even more so today.” MenYearsKindDoeStillsTodayGuyCultureDoorsFootballRevolutionNeededOfficeHundredYears AgoBunchFiftyCultMasculinityFrontiersExaltedManlyIndustrial Revolution Author:Steve Almond
“Obama said, basically, "I wouldn't let any son of mine play football, though I do watch." And that struck me as remarkable! It's like he's saying, yeah, let some other set of parents or guardians put their boys up for that kind of punishment (and for my amusement). But not mine! It's just abject hypocrisy from a guy who should know better.” KnowsShouldKindSaidPlayGuyParentBoysWatchesFootballMinesSonYeahPunishmentHypocrisyRemarkableAmusementGuardian Author:Steve Almond
“Football is the kind of game where you have to really segregate kids from the general population and kind of colonize their minds. It's more intense and demands more than other sports. And this is why the folks who are involved (as players, coaches, boosters, fans) are so much more devoted to it. It's really a cult, when you think about it.” ThinkingMindKindKidsGamesSportsPlayerFansFootballInvolvedDemandFolksPopulationCoachesIntenseDevotedCult Author:Steve Almond
“I really believe that art has to play a role in changing the moral direction. Mean, selfish people are in charge of the government and we're letting them make us into a much meaner culture. It reminds me of McCarthyism, to be honest, and to the early stages of fascism. There are people out there cheering for war, treating those deaths like some kind of athletic event. How sick do we have to be that this is not only acceptable, but virtually unchallenged by other politicians or clergy or anyone? And it's artists who have to stand up and be counted. Right now.” PeopleBelieveKindMeanArtWarArtistCultureMoralHonestPoliticianSickSelfishBeing HonestCheerFascismAthleticSelfish People Author:Steve Almond
