Course B
Sport and Society:
Why Sports are Less Than War but More Than a Game
Craig LaMay, Professor, Medill School of Journalism
Tuesdays, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Sports are more than entertainment, more than pop culture. They are a social
institution no less than education, religion, or the military. They are the
oldest form of “reality television” and the most expensive, highest earning
media product in the world. Americans, no less than perhaps people from the
England to Turkey to India, see sport as a metaphorical training ground for
“life,” one reason politicians take such a keen interest in it. Life in this case
includes industry and commerce, domestic and international politics, gender
and sexuality, race and ethnic relations, religion and spirituality. In the
United States, if you can name it, sports have an analog for it. This course
considers sports in some of these various contexts, while also looking at
international experiences and examples.
