EP 12 - Ch 11 -- Sports and the Economy

This episode begins by contrasting people’s motivations to participate in and watch sports as well as the motivations people who stage local sporting events to the motivations of businesspeople that stage commercial sporting events. This leads into a discussion of neoliberal capitalism and its major characteristics. We follow up that abstract discussion with a list of concrete examples of neoliberal sports spectacles and some of the overarching patterns in neoliberalism. This leads into a discussion of what Antonio Gramsci’s calls forming ideological outposts in people’s minds. After recognizing the excitement and passion people have for sports spectacles, we then explore some of the darker aspects of the spectacles, including providing public money for private profits in stadium building and workers learning to identify with the interests of their bosses. We then talk about ownership models other than the current private ownership model that often runs counter to what most of us love