Why Are Sports Fairer than Voting or Courts
It is astonishing the effort American sports exert to assure the fairness of their games. Endless replays with camera views from every angle, congressional hearings on whether athletes use performance-enhancing drugs, legal prosecution for alleged betting on performances, and more. New methods to assure fairness are only limited by the current state of technology or how much delay of the entertainment the audience will tolerate.
These standards of fairness are often greater than those used in the criminal justice system, where innocent persons are expeditiously convicted and exonerating evidence often withheld—especially for certain kinds of defendants—or in our supposed democracy, where great effort is taken to gerrymander districts and suppress voting—especially for certain kinds of voters. Those in power ignore that our society is unjust to the core. Some individuals have unfair, unmerited advantages that virtually guarantee success, while others are burdened with undeserved obstacles that make success almost impossible. Some can’t lose and other can’t win.
What could possibly explain all this? Why is the position of a football receiver’s toe analyzed in greater detail than the crime of one accused of something that carries a life sentence? Why could Congress possibly care about whether baseball players like Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens used steroids, when they don’t mind condemning thousands to death for lack of health care, from gun violence, or as mercenaries in their wars?
The answer is easy. Those in power want to make sure their games are “on the up and up” because the entertainment of sports quiets discontent. As Edward Gibbon taught us long ago, the Roman Empire used bread and circuses to control its people. Keep their bellies full and their minds entertained and they will remain ignorant or apathetic to the injustice that surrounds them. American sports are our circuses; they keep the population mollified. They also inculcate patriotism—flags decorate the players uniforms while both performers and audience are required to stand for the national anthem. This is our civic duty. This is our religion. This helps us forget.
Whatever they do our rulers want to make sure that we don’t become dissatisfied with our entertainment. If the masses ever did, they might instead become disgruntled and angry with the violence and injustice that surrounds them.
