Another Cup Day has come and gone – and, as usual, I have taken the very un-Australian step of ignoring it. I spent this morning on the computer, did my yoga practice, threw out a swag of stuff for recycling, and had a friend around to watch videos. Not as exciting as standing in a windblown marquee getting drunk, you might say – but that’s fine by me.
I love Australia with all my dinky-di heart, but I’ve never understood the nation’s obsession with sporting culture. The Melbourne Cup is billed as ‘the race that stops a nation’. Cup Day parties abound, and betting outlets around the country do a roaring trade. In Melbourne, the whole day is an official public holiday, even though the race itself only lasts a few minutes.
In Victoria, the happiness of several million people appears to rest on the weekly fortunes of their favourite AFL football team. In several other states, rugby league takes pride of place in sporting allegiances. Weekly football fixtures are given blanket media coverage, particularly in Victoria, and if (god forbid) a player should pull a hamstring or shove someone on the field, it’s treated as the end of the world.
I don’t want to be completely ‘bah humbug’ about this. It’s not people liking sport that bothers me – I’m partial to a bit of international cricket, and I enjoy watching Olympic events like diving and gymnastics. It’s the overwhelming day-to-day obsession with sport in this country, and the way sporting codes and athletes are accorded almost god-like status, which I find hard to understand.
I sometimes feel that sport functions as a kind of weak social ‘glue’, by prompting interaction between people who otherwise have nothing in common. And I wonder whether, by placing so much emphasis on the fortunes of a particular team, athlete or event, we may be missing the opportunity to focus on our own lives. Imagine what Australia would be like if we put as much emphasis on academic achievement, scientific research or social welfare (for example) as we do on how well our athletes perform.
Fiona
Your Official Cup Day Curmudgeon
Haha – I sort of agree. Horse racing and car racing just don’t interest me. I like football and love cricket but I agree that our country’s obsession with sport is sometimes over the top and, I think, highlights that some people are disenfranchised with other parts of their lives.
Comment by Anthony Caruana — 03/11/2009 @ 8:51 pm |
I did try to ignore Cup Day (and for the most part I spent the day writing), but I did place a small bet in the morning. At 3pm I watched the race and was, momentarily, jumping up and down when I realised I’d won. I do also love my footy! But on the other hand I totally agree with you that it’s over the top how much money is spent in developing sport. You only have to compare it to the amount of money spent (or should I say not spent) on the Arts to see how ridiculous it is. Not to mention academic achievement, scientific research or social welfare (as you mentioned). I have a friend (a playwright) who no longer lives in this country because there are so few opportunities for him here and I think that’s really sad.
Comment by Karen Graham — 04/11/2009 @ 8:13 am |