On Why Americans Mythologize Sports
Stars (Especially Baseball Players)
The United States of America, as all
Americans know, was a country that was founded after breaking off
from Great Britain. This left America with no actual history, unlike
most European countries. These European countries had been around for
a very long time and had developed lengthy histories and prized
stories. Having a history means that European countries have
developed and practiced their sports for a very long time.
Furthermore, America is a very fragmented country. America is the
United States, not the United Nation, which makes the people consider
states or even cities to be city-states like those of ancient Greece.
The size of America helps to keep Americans fragmented. This leads to
a huge pride in even the smallest of towns (and perhaps more so in
these small towns). This pride leads to a reverence of anyone who can
represent one's city or state, especially those with a celebrity
status.
American been around for a relatively
short amount of time. In that time, Americans have created their own
history and their own sports. Americans revere their athletes. To
children, they're role models and given a hero status not unlike
superheroes, who could be considered mythological figures along the
lines of Heracles or Achilles. Adults might not be as awed by
athletes, but they often ignore or justify the fallibility of
athletes to the point where they are given privilege and status above
that of the average person. And it's no surprise, considering the
amount of money pro athletes are often paid. Athletes like Tiger
Woods or Michael Vick are allowed to continue working in their
professions, despite the fact that other people in other professions
would be shunned or at least lambasted by the public for their
mistakes. In most professions, it would be difficult to get a job
after having been convicted of animal abuse.
Baseball players perhaps most of all
get their mistakes excused away because baseball is The American
Sport. There is a mythological appeal that surrounded baseball more
so than any other American sport, perhaps because of the very nature
of the sport.
