American culture is obsessed with two things: sex and sports. Sure, we really like cheesy pop music, fast food, and exercising our unalienable right to drive at whatever speed we please no matter what the posted limit, but we don't spend nearly as much time analyzing the costumes of N'Sync's Justin Timberlake as we do analyzing the health of Pedro's arm. Though it would be crude to suggest that sex itself could be a competitive sport, the similarities between societies' two obsessions begs the question of whether other sexual activities could be considered sports.
Many sports are dominated by elements of sexuality. Female outfits for many sports are designed to make athletes fit a certain feminine image or show off their particular attributes to attract men to watch the sport. Many sports, such as baseball and football, play a major role in creating and then propagating to children what society's ideal man is. In these sports, athletes are praised for characteristics associated with masculinity: strength, bravado, and fearlessness.
And, if someone could please explain to me the sport involved in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, it would be much appreciated.
The connections between sex and sports are not always so implicit. We are taught in about the third grade, depending on how inquisitive we are, to compare sex to a sport when we learn about how our older siblings and friends reached first base when they made out with a boy at the school dance. The "bases" metaphor has long been a staple of junior high note-passing, and many of baseball's attributes can be applied to sex. People strike out, there are switch-hitters, and if you're not doing well, a pinch hitter might be sent in to replace you.
Sports are also related to sex in that practicing several times a week has been medically proven to improve one's emotional and physical state. Both are popular in American culture because participation in either is a form of pleasure and escape from everyday lives. One gets a tremendous rush of adrenaline from the competitive aspect of sports, and seeing a favorite team win a game in a dramatic fashion is a great thrill. Likewise, sex causes a rush of hormones and pheromones (and other fluids) that give a feeling of euphoria.
Given that society's reasons for liking sex and sports are similar, could the two be combined in some non-intercourse way? According to dictionary.com, one definition of sport is a "physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively." Certainly there are rules and customs for giving and receiving a certain form of sexual activity scientifically known as felacio: no teeth, and a proper gentleman reciprocates.
There are also certain customs of behavior between boys and girls wishing to engage in such activities and during the act, certain techniques and movements. There are balls involved, and sometimes, stiff competition. Like any sport, these acts must be performed with a certain degree of skill and finesse, or one will not get the prize.
Though my suggestions are made tongue-in-cheek, society does like sex and sports for the same reason. They are outlets for fantasies, escapes from the harsh reality of every day life, and trigger hormones that signal feelings of pleasure and euphoria.
In sports, the competitive aspect is explicit, as teams compete with each other to win. In sex, there is an implicit competitive aspect. Both men and women accuse each other of playing mind games to influence dating outcomes, and we work hard to demonstrate to members of the opposite (or same) sex that we embody whatever characteristics they are looking for better than anyone else.
Sex is not and should not be a sport, but the two concepts are related in their role in American culture and reasons that we are obsessed with them. But in reality, the only thing missing is the organized competitive aspect. There are no leagues, playoffs, Olympics, or way of determining a champion among the masses - an essential element of a modern-day sport.
But what if there were? Medals would be awarded to the pairs, and certain celebrities could be employed as judges. Contestants could compete for speed like speed skaters do, style like ice skaters, or endurance like long-distance runners.
Any takers?
