How American Football Change American Culture, Research Paper Example

American football started gaining popularity among American men in the late nineteenth century because it combined older definitions of manliness that promoted physical strength, exertion, and endurance with new ideas of masculinity being fostered by the corporate economy such as mental acuity, leadership skills, and team work. Even future U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt linked football with character development, vigor, and courage in the face of physical danger in 1890(Carroll, 2003). More than a century has passed but football remains the game of power, courage, and manliness though the only difference is that now it is also a highly profitable commercial industry. This may explain why it is one of the few sports where women still have no representation. American football has succeeded in preserving its appeal because American culture values traits such as power, strength, perseverance, and will to win at all costs.

One may be tempted to argue that American football is acquiring many of the characteristics of an organized religion in America. Mark Axelrod in his paper Popular Culture and the Rituals of American Football claims that the behavior of American football fans closely mimics the behavior of religious devotees and cult members. He points towards various pre-game and post game rituals, fans’ emotional responses to wins and losses, lifelong loyalties to teams irrespective of teams’ fortunes, and how life comes to a standstill on game days (Axelrod, 2001). Sports like American football are contributing towards the increasing commercialization of sports in America and Super Bowl is known to command some of the highest prices for 30-second commercials (Baumer, 2011). In addition, American football has also changed weekend recreation habits of numerous American families. Families that used to have regular weekend parks and malls trips now stay home on football weekends. American football has also changed how American high school graduates select colleges. It used to be that the academic standing of a college or university was its main asset but now many colleges attract attention due to being a college football powerhouse.

References

Axelrod, M. (2001, March). Popular Culture and the Rituals of American Football. Retrieved July 18, 2011, from http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1100&context=clcweb

Baumer, K. (2011, February 3). Here’s A Look At The Cost Of Super Bowl Ads Through The Years. Retrieved July 18, 2011, from http://www.businessinsider.com/cost-super-bowl-ads-through-the-years-2011-2

Carroll, B. (2003). Football. In American Masculinities: A Historical Encyclopedia (p. 174). SAGE Publications.