In 1843 Karl Marx said, “Religion is the opium of the people”. Today it’s sports. And, since hockey is a religion in Canada, the truth was borne out in the Stanley Cup Finals this month.
Vancouver suffered a bitter defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Of course the players want to win but they have their multi-million dollar contracts and endorsements. Their happiness resides in their bank accounts and summer homes. It’s the fans who suffer, at least in Vancouver. These are people who are held hostage by their naïve belief in an inevitable victory. Weren’t they the chosen team with the best record in the league only to be struck down by a Bruin defenseman as big as Goliath. When God had forsaken them they went on a rampage disputing a heartless world.
In Boston it was all Hosannas as the team displayed the Cup in a triumphal parade reputed to be the largest gathering in the city’s history.
Identification is an important part of the fan’s mental makeup. His spiritual honor and emotions ride on his team. I confess that I identify with the Detroit Red Wings and could never be a “fan” of the Canucks who have been tortured for 40 years and 40 nights of failure.
Once upon a time the players were genuinely involved in the game. Long ago the great Red Wing Captain Sid Abel was quoted as saying, “Sure we played for money, but we would have played the Toronto Maple Leafs for nothing.”
The true reality of modern sports is money. The fan’s reality is illusion, the same as religion.
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