Muhammad Ali's Strategy

Muhammad Ali's winning strategy was brilliant. The idea to let another man punch himself out is a decent one, but Ali made it even better by pretending to be tired and beaten as well. I would think that this helped to bring George Foreman out of his inner boxing game even more. Foreman sees that Ali is tired, thinks he has control of the match, and then lets down his guard. And it was too late to try to bring it back up when he was mauled by Ali in what seemed like a matter of seconds.
Once again, it was a brilliant strategy. It reminds me of a broader application of the famous 'hesitation' move that is so often used in sports like basketball, football, and soccer, for its ability to help an attacker (usually) run passed a defender. The attacker gives a slight decrease in speed. He straightens up a little. His face becomes less tense. He looks somewhere other than his intended path, perhaps to give the impression that he wishes to not be involved in the play anymore, that he just wants to pass the ball off and rest. The defender relaxes along with the attacker, and may lose focus. But the attacker does not lose focus. As soon as he sees his feint reflecting in the poise of his defender, then he knocks him out. Figuratively speaking. What a brilliant strategy.

Unwavering Loyalty: The Sporting Fans' Ideal

"I still support the Cowboys despite their performance in the last six years."
"The Cardinals are your favorite team!?! Go die."
"You don't like Liverpool, you've never even been to a match."
"Well, I'm going to be honest and admit that I tend to follow whatever team is most likely to win."

The loyalty of fans to individual teams is an enormous part of sport, especially amongst the fans themselves. They brave decade-long droughts of poor performance, confident that their team's day will come again. They argue, riot, and even kill as they band together in large armies to harass an equally riled mass of fans on the other side of the pitch. A loyal fan is weary of accidentally embracing a false supporter, an impostor. After all, those who come quickly will leave in the same manner.
I propose the following evolution-based explanation for the intensity of the emotions that come with sport:
In today's world, it is difficult to make alliances that feel as though they are more than just agreements to spend and enjoy some time together on a regular basis. There is little need for making pacts with others to prevent your own death. We no longer have neighboring communities that lurk in the shadows, waiting to take our compound by nightfall, from whom we find protection only in our own numbers. There is no longer a need for strong bonds between hunters, the willingness to "work for each other" in order to survive on a day-to-day basis. When there were such needs, those who made they strongest alliances were usually the safest and best feed, hence the very strong desires that exist in modern humans, the descendants of those who survived to reproduce and nurture their offspring. So today, we look for other places to make these alliances. We look anywhere and everywhere, desperate to find a group. This desire is ingrained in us. The loyal fan is respected and trusted to support his favorite team. The supporters of other teams are hated, harassed, and avoided. Fans with seemingly weak or questionable ties to a team are watched carefully and not trusted fully. At the same time, fans may attempt to jump ship as their team sinks in defeat in hopes of making friends with another group of people in support of a better-faring team.
It's simple. It's evolution. It's all very exciting.

To Cheat or Not To Cheat?

Our discussion in class quickly lead to the conclusion that there are multiple levels of cheating, multiple levels of "gaining an unfair advantage." Of course, just what is unfair is also questionable.
I feel that the multiple levels of "gaining an unfair advantage" file into two categories: 1) The action is outlawed by the rules of the game, and 2) The action is intended to deceive the official(s) (although this is technically outlawed in most sports anyways, it is usually not considered a "rule"). Neither of these are permissible in my book.
I play sport for these two most prominent reasons: I love the beauty of sport, and I need the competition and excitement. For me, cheating takes away from of these aspects. A goal in soccer is not impressive (and thus beautiful) if it was put in with the hand. Similarly, what are my opponents to do if I continuously deceive the referee by diving? They cannot defend against such an offense in a manner that is both effective and is not cheating itself. If I cheat, it is as if I am no longer playing the game. The rules are just those of everyday life in the physical sense, and all of a sudden the ability to put the ball in the back of the net seems a worthless and boring talent. At that point, it is time to leave the field and continue living life. That is, life minus sport. There was no point in being out there in the first place. How dull.

We enjoy what everyone enjoys

C. L. R. James spends a fair amount of time describing the appeal of the sporting atmosphere, of the excitement that fills the air when large numbers of people gather with the anticipation of passionately enjoying what the are about to witness. It is the expectations that multiply themselves with each extra person that attends and allows the actual experience to be that much better. I was reminded of this just last night when I attended a concert at the Symphony Center. It was Wynton Marsalis, my childhood hero, performing with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and a full choir. I went expecting a quality performance by many quality musicians, but what I got was a whole lot more. It was because I experienced the concert in a massive hall filled with anxious spectators who were thrilled to be there, just as the Olympics were experienced in massive stadiums with large crowds of spectators ready for excitement, that the concert was absolutely mind-blowing. I realized that I not only enjoyed the music, but I enjoyed everyone else's enjoyment as well. It reminded me that we view sport for cultural enjoyment. That is, our love for sport is self-perpetuating because we crave not only sport itself, but everyone else's love for sport as well. We enjoy passion in sport, in music, in everything.

(Real) Physical Education

We all read about this idea of physical activity actually being beneficial to our mental health, our physical health, and the health of our mind and body working together as one impressive tool. I absolutely agree with such a postulate! Yes, I think there are limits as to what physical activity can do to further our total health, but so many basic concepts that are present in physical challenges are ALSO present in mental challenges. Most obvious is physical problem solving. Thing about the last time you had to come up with a way to do something physical, such as move something very heavy or fit a lot of things into a small dorm room (i.e. tetris), that lacked a clear solution? While this may not include physical exertion, we can touch, smell, hear, and see what we are up against. It prepares us to use what mental knowledge we have. Story problems in mathematics are used for a reason, and real-world problems are a further extension of story problems. We cannot just be capable of great things that begin with our minds. We must be able to do them. But moving closer to sport as it is commonly thought of, just think of what teamwork, exertion, failure, and victory can give you. You learn how to outsmart and predict the actions of others. You become more familiar with your body and it's capabilities. You learn how to IMPROVE these capabilities! Look at weightlifting. For most people, trying to bench 300 lbs right now would be impossible. No matter how hard they try, these people simply cannot do it. Now, have this same group of people work passionately to build up to this feat of pressing 300 lbs. It becomes possible. Sport helps us not only to learn, but to learn how to learn. I can think of few things that are of more value. Finally there is failure, and there is victory. Failure can frequently yield a drive to do better. It teaches us how much we enjoy victory, and ensures that we will fight in the future to secure it. Victory is simply that. Victory. And with victory, comes happiness. Sport is not the only place where we may be victorious, but it is fascinatingly unique and absolutely unforgettable. Needless to say, I agree with Mr. Olds.

My Philosophy of Sport

Competition is a natural instinct. It's useful for survival and as a result, it is usually the most competitive who survive and propagate. Sport is clearly not tied to our survival abilities, but it is a fantastic way to let out our competitive drive. Quenching the thirst for "victory" is an amazing feeling, and those who've tasted it always want more. Victory and defeat are such an emotional part of human existence that we find them exceptionally thrilling, especially in physically active settings that mimic primal events like two males fighting over a female, or two clans fighting over territory. Sport is naturally in all of us.