Sports and American Militiarism

Dave Zirin has written a wonderful article on sports and the militarization of American society:

The eruption of patriotic emotion at the park should surprise no one. Since 9/11, the sports arena has been an organizer of patriotism, a recruiter for the US armed forces, and at times a funhouse mirror, reflecting the principles of freedom in a manner so misshapen and distorted as to rise to the level of farce.

That's for damn sure--I hate, hate, hate the playing of "God Bless America" at baseball games. The rapid increase in connections between right-wing militarism and sports, and the massive peer pressure that goes along with it, is the single worst thing about going to a sporting event.