Sport is so integrated into our culture. And most of us love sport. However, we forget to make an important distinction. There is a difference between playing it and merely being a sports fan. Let’s explore this in detail.
We play sport for several reasons. One is, it keeps us physically healthy. However, a deeper reason why sport is so enjoyable is that it focusses the mind. One cannot play sport listlessly. That is, something about the challenge brings the mind to focus completely on the action at hand. This bringing of the mind to the present moment is so all-consuming, that we forget ourselves. In that divesting of the self, there is peace, there is a great harmony. The impact of this ‘divesting of the self’ is felt on the body. It relaxes. And while we feel exhausted after a rigorous session, we strangely feel totally at ease with that exhaustion. It is an exhaustion that we welcome. We find that we sleep deeply that night, we worry less and that we are happier.
Then there is the whole circus of watching sport. This is a dubious activity. Watching your favourite team play is indeed exciting. And thats about it. The false tension fabricated by pitting one team against the other, creates a momentary excitement. This is essentially an egoic state, for happiness is based on ‘my team winning’. One is not really enjoying the sport for what is. One focusses on one’s team winning. This is a vicarious joy, essentially born from an egoic state. And then of course, today’s sport is full of brands (consumer titillation), sexual distractions (i.e. cheerleaders), and food (fries, drinks, burgers). The purpose of this sort of sport is pure entertainment. Or in other words – profitable distraction (profitable to others, that is to say).
The vicarious enjoyment of sport stems from a desperate need to find some temporary meaning in life. Most of us lead such sad, miserable and desperate lives, that watching our favourite team pitted against its ‘enemy team’ creates a temporary sense of meaning in life. We are alive and alert to beat the other. It is our team. And therefore it feels that I am walking out into the battle field. Such excitement though does not bring us true joy. It awakens us temporarily for a while. It creates a tension in us. This is then released as shouting, yelling, partying or crying. Then the moment passes and a strange emptiness fills the house. Have you observed this? After the match is over and the television is switched off, one experiences a ‘mini death’. A subtle indescribable sadness fills one’s being. The match is over. The thing that bought a temporary sense of heightened self has finished. And now, I stand here, empty. This could also be why people tend to drink so much during and after the game and usually pass out. They fear this void.
What we must do, is not avoid watching sport. We should. We can learn from the great athletes. But we must ensure that we actively partake in a sport. And we play it with some involvement and dedication. This sharpens us, and brings the state of ‘no-mind’ that we so desperately seek. Then, watching sport becomes something we do to learn and improve our own sport. And of course, we might have some fun with friends, family and food along the way.
Journey of a thousand words 