David W. Swanson

Pastor and Author

Team Spirit by Errol Morris

Have you seen this 8 minute film (commercial) for ESPN by the well-known filmmaker Errol Morris?  It’s creatively done and reminds me of some his documentaries I’ve enjoyed: The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War, and Standard Operating Procedure.

Here’s what I wonder about this: What did ESPN think I’d feel while watching?  I imagine they were hoping for some laughs and identification with the diehard fans portrayed in the film.  In fact I felt something closer to bemusement and pity.  Also, is there any doubt that  professional sports (including NCAA and especially the NFL)  have become America’s civil religion?

David Swanson

,
←
→

5 responses to “Team Spirit by Errol Morris”

  1. Sean Breslin Avatar
    Sean Breslin

    Awesome. I think a team can become a part of a person’s identity, and it’s becoming less and less weird to see things like this.

    Reply
  2. Josh S Avatar
    Josh S

    I tend to think of ‘Patriotism’ as America’s civil religion. Love of sports is just the equivalent Sunday worship service; elections are the less-frequent-but-just-as-regular Easter & Christmas services; and doing your patriotic duty by shopping/’stimulating the economy’ is civil religion’s version of tithing.

    This is a symptom, not the root cause. (But dang, am I glad that Football Season is just around the corner!)

    Reply
    1. David Swanson Avatar
      David Swanson

      I think I’m following you Josh, but what about those who don’t consider themselves especially patriotic who are still passionate sports fans?

      Reply
  3. Matt Steen Avatar
    Matt Steen

    I watch that with an incredible range of feeling. In some ways, I identify with the stories of the fans and their desire to be identified with their teams for all eternity, even if they have bad taste in teams (except for the Orioles guy). But, on the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of… pity? revulsion? dread? dissapointment? I am not sure what.. we all want to be part of something bigger than we are, yet for so many we choose for that to be a sports team, rather than something that makes a significant difference to the world around us.

    This was kind of disturbing to me.

    Reply
  4. Sports Funerals and Needing a Bigger Story – churchthought.com

    […] other day I came across a video about sports funerals on David Swanson’s blog. It started off somewhat goofy, but by the time the video was over, I was flat out disturbed. The […]

    Reply

Leave a reply to Matt Steen Cancel reply