Every society needs healthy forms of belonging, and sports remain one of the few places where Americans still learn loyalty without turning every disagreement into moral combat.
This is such an eye-opening framing! I generally saw sports as a bad (though mostly benign) kind of tribalism, but now I understand that it in many ways it is a counteracting force to the much more dangerous types of tribalism. Thank you!
I love this 5D perception share! This resonates perfectly with my podcast share around the Super Bowl. So glad to find your page. ~ Peace ❤ https://substack.com/home/post/p-187203058
What a wonderful way to see sports fandom—as a redeeming form of tribalism!!! I'll be using this expression, Grace, with a big thank you for creating it!
What’s interesting is how stuff like sports gambling is almost a direct attack on this. It exploits people’s tribalism and enthusiasm by making them make dumb bets because they like the team.
If there’s anything I’ve learned growing up in a Philadelphia Eagles family, it’s that there is nothing more unifying than rooting for the same sports team 🙌 incredibly well written Grace!
If I could change one thing in American sports, it would be the sad tradition of baseball to congratulate the members of your own team (on the field at the end) rather than the other team. A poor tradition.
In little league and even high school intramurals, I recall that line up where each team slaps each other’s hands and say “good game”. Is this no longer done?
I am so glad you contacted me to talk about this subject. Human nature calls for individuals to be part of a bigger whole. We find varying ways to do that. Sports is just one example. Thank you Grace.
Tribalism is a deeply human trait. It has no moral value in itself but it is powerful sometimes with usually lamentable outcomes in the medium run. Trying to discard it is futile. Trying to channel it backfires. It is not badly dangerous. The football hooligans fighting and even sometimes killing each others know they are the same in a way. The story of the Millwall supporter's club sign shows how much respect there is beyond sports feuds.
Thank you, Grace, for your nice essay on the positive aspects of sports tribalism! I was a swimmer at the University of Colorado in the 1970s; as a minor sport, we regularly drove across the plains of Nebraska to meets at other Big Eight colleges, including yours. It was a great experience for me, although I never saw the plow in the sunset that Willa Cather so magically described!
Really liked this—never thought about sports this way before. It’s easy to see them as just games, but the idea that they give people a shared sense of belonging without all the usual division actually makes a lot of sense. Definitely gave me a new perspective! Appreciate you!
Well done. I recently noted a situation in China, where the Chengdu city team lost a soccer match to Chonqing, but cheered “keep fighting”(keep trying) Chengdu. When the Chonqing team next time lost to Chengdu, their team yelled “kill Chengdu.”That took me aback somewhat.
This is such an eye-opening framing! I generally saw sports as a bad (though mostly benign) kind of tribalism, but now I understand that it in many ways it is a counteracting force to the much more dangerous types of tribalism. Thank you!
I love this 5D perception share! This resonates perfectly with my podcast share around the Super Bowl. So glad to find your page. ~ Peace ❤ https://substack.com/home/post/p-187203058
Insight such as this is worth its weight in gold, well now, maybe even oil. Keep it up!
What a wonderful way to see sports fandom—as a redeeming form of tribalism!!! I'll be using this expression, Grace, with a big thank you for creating it!
What’s interesting is how stuff like sports gambling is almost a direct attack on this. It exploits people’s tribalism and enthusiasm by making them make dumb bets because they like the team.
If there’s anything I’ve learned growing up in a Philadelphia Eagles family, it’s that there is nothing more unifying than rooting for the same sports team 🙌 incredibly well written Grace!
If I could change one thing in American sports, it would be the sad tradition of baseball to congratulate the members of your own team (on the field at the end) rather than the other team. A poor tradition.
In little league and even high school intramurals, I recall that line up where each team slaps each other’s hands and say “good game”. Is this no longer done?
Not in the MLB. NBA yes. NFL. Yes.
They should bring it back.
I am so glad you contacted me to talk about this subject. Human nature calls for individuals to be part of a bigger whole. We find varying ways to do that. Sports is just one example. Thank you Grace.
I have often thought that sports provides a necessary and safe outlet for natural social tension and competitiveness.
Tribalism is a deeply human trait. It has no moral value in itself but it is powerful sometimes with usually lamentable outcomes in the medium run. Trying to discard it is futile. Trying to channel it backfires. It is not badly dangerous. The football hooligans fighting and even sometimes killing each others know they are the same in a way. The story of the Millwall supporter's club sign shows how much respect there is beyond sports feuds.
Thank you, Grace, for your nice essay on the positive aspects of sports tribalism! I was a swimmer at the University of Colorado in the 1970s; as a minor sport, we regularly drove across the plains of Nebraska to meets at other Big Eight colleges, including yours. It was a great experience for me, although I never saw the plow in the sunset that Willa Cather so magically described!
Really liked this—never thought about sports this way before. It’s easy to see them as just games, but the idea that they give people a shared sense of belonging without all the usual division actually makes a lot of sense. Definitely gave me a new perspective! Appreciate you!
Jeux Sans Frontiers!
Well done. I recently noted a situation in China, where the Chengdu city team lost a soccer match to Chonqing, but cheered “keep fighting”(keep trying) Chengdu. When the Chonqing team next time lost to Chengdu, their team yelled “kill Chengdu.”That took me aback somewhat.