While sports may also educate
In 60-70-ies, when I was going to the hairdresser’s, the number one subject for discussion was football and, of course, “Ararat” team game. In 90s, the subject was the politics (political parties and their fight), and now, various rumors about political and non-political figures, let’s say, the show-business “celebrities”, including who owns this-or-that business and who has “entering into a share” in somewhere. Probably, depending on which sector is in the center of attention, this sector has the highest potential for development.
Why was the sports so valued in the Soviet period? It should be assumed that under the absence of freedom and, in particular, the censorship, it was the sports, more precisely, following the sport competitions and discussing them one of the forms of self-affirmation and increasing the self-appraisal. It is clear that this function in the sport is maintained today and is “in effect” not only in Armenia. The sports perceived as such, of course, is a European phenomenon, and it is not accidental that the majority of moderns sports is developed in Britain, exactly as the modern business culture.
The word sport is an English word. True, it is derived from the old French root «desport», which in translation means a “game”. Sports, in the origin “understood” by us, began to develop in England after the revolution in the end of the 17th century, when the feudal and religious prohibitions against all kinds of games were abolished, and people with physical skills began to be engaged, for example, in “boxing” (a battle in the “box”), while people with specific knowledge began to train the boxers, and thus, these two groups make money. In the same period, the audience began making bets (first of all in horseraces), and as a result, the grounds for various “gambling” frauds were made.
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“Merging” of sports and show business thus began in the 18th century in Europe. It is pretty far from the ideal of harmonious developed man, which is specific to the Ancient Greek culture, and far from spiritual and military trainings, which come from the Eastern tradition. It is a bit like the contests of Roman gladiators, but much more “civilized” and with “market” manifestations. The game remains, and it is not so important whether it is the football, where in addition to physical and technical training, certain intellectual and creative attitude is required, the weightlifting, where basically only physical strength is required, the chess, which is almost exclusively an intelligence game, or, let’s say, the poker, where much depends on the “luck”. As we know, there are TV channels that broadcast poker tournaments, consequently, there are viewers who sit in front of the TV for hours, watch the game and perhaps, make a bet.
The self-affirmation function of the viewers, thus, in the advanced “Europeanized” sports is primary. People can be self-affirmed “morally”: our players are better and stronger. In the same 70-ies, the two opposing world camps were proving each other through sports which of the systems is better: the socialist, or the capitalist. People can also be self-affirmed through money: I’m so smart and knowledgeable that “my stake won.”
But sport also has an educational role, which is not paid proper attention in our country. An athlete who has achieved great success in the international arena (presumably, Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Arsen Julfalakyan) is a young man, who due to his diligence, persistence and, why not, some temperance (I think nothing will turn out without it) has achieved the sport heights. For Armenia, it is also important that these young people, interacting with western standards of work and life, one way or another, will shift this culture to our land.
So far, our society is not interested in it. Self-affirmation function of a passive viewer takes over. They absolutely comply with rumors about the business or “art” celebrities. This is approximately the same as following the poker on TV.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
