US sports (except maybe basketball) are very right-wing. I don’t think they actually care one way or the other, but their audience is mostly boys and men, and boys and men are right wing these days, so the sports cater to that audience.
It’s not just commercials, it’s often also the commentators. They’re not saying outright Nazi things, but, for example, they often they reminisce about how things used to be better, and complain about the current world.
I imagine people won’t like to hear it, but there’s no denying that major sports teams rely on the same “in-group/out-group” dynamic that fascism relies on.
It may be a more benign form (for the most part), but the whole “my sports team is better than yours!” Is definitely tribalistic in nature. It’s not surprising to me that many die-hard fans may revel in arbitrary social divisions in other facets of their lives.
I don’t know if they do it in the US, but it’s well known that Nazis in Europe are recruiting from the soccer fan clubs.
People turning their entire lives into revolving around artificial factions about a game they have no say in, and willing to get into physical fight over it, yeah, those are exactly who they want.
Fascism is about the in-group that gets to make rules that bind the out-group but not themselves. The important bit there is the enforcement of those rules with the state’s monopoly on violence.
Merely having an in-group and an out-group is harmless on its own. It’s how you have inside jokes. It’s how you have friends who you can trust with secrets. It’s how families work.
Having in-jokes with your friends is not tribalistic. I mean, it may be something a small tribe does—that’s not what we’re talking about.
Performative hatred of “the other ones”, sports teams, clankers, what have you, scratches the same itch fascists love scratching. Obviously, that’s something they can leverage.
Studies have consistently shown a pretty even split, typically leaning Democratic. This trend aligns with American demographics and reflects the political landscape of the cities where these teams are located, which tend to be predominantly Democratic.
US sports (except maybe basketball) are very right-wing. I don’t think they actually care one way or the other, but their audience is mostly boys and men, and boys and men are right wing these days, so the sports cater to that audience.
I have a good time watching the game but the commercials make me wince.
The salute the troops makes me gag.
The nationalism disguised as patriotism … it’s honestly getting to be too much.
It’s not just commercials, it’s often also the commentators. They’re not saying outright Nazi things, but, for example, they often they reminisce about how things used to be better, and complain about the current world.
I imagine people won’t like to hear it, but there’s no denying that major sports teams rely on the same “in-group/out-group” dynamic that fascism relies on.
It may be a more benign form (for the most part), but the whole “my sports team is better than yours!” Is definitely tribalistic in nature. It’s not surprising to me that many die-hard fans may revel in arbitrary social divisions in other facets of their lives.
I don’t know if they do it in the US, but it’s well known that Nazis in Europe are recruiting from the soccer fan clubs.
People turning their entire lives into revolving around artificial factions about a game they have no say in, and willing to get into physical fight over it, yeah, those are exactly who they want.
Fascism is about the in-group that gets to make rules that bind the out-group but not themselves. The important bit there is the enforcement of those rules with the state’s monopoly on violence.
Merely having an in-group and an out-group is harmless on its own. It’s how you have inside jokes. It’s how you have friends who you can trust with secrets. It’s how families work.
Having in-jokes with your friends is not tribalistic. I mean, it may be something a small tribe does—that’s not what we’re talking about.
Performative hatred of “the other ones”, sports teams, clankers, what have you, scratches the same itch fascists love scratching. Obviously, that’s something they can leverage.
As if the left is immune to tribalism…
I am immune to tribalism. I use my long dick to ward off tribalist spirits. What now, big boy.
Not saying you are wrong at all, but EW
Studies have consistently shown a pretty even split, typically leaning Democratic. This trend aligns with American demographics and reflects the political landscape of the cities where these teams are located, which tend to be predominantly Democratic.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-every-nfl-teams-fans-lean-politically/ https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/action_networks_nfl_fan_base_politics_survey_which_way_is_your_team_voting/s1_17354_40754216 https://archive.learcenter.org/nflpolitics/index.html
I assume you were being hyperbolic when you said that boys and men are right-wing.