Sports are not everyone’s cup of tea. “How many points does getting it in the basket mean?” and “Who is the captain?” I asked the sports writer beside me at a basketball game last weekend. But we all know sports are about more than a game. There is a lot we can learn.
Physical movement constituted a large part of the event — but it was not the kind that human beings tend to do in their daily lives. This movement was organized, bound by rules and appeared to build camaraderie between groups while at the same time making apparent segregation. One cheerleader began dancing spontaneously to music, yet she hurriedly sat down when she realized her group members were not doing the same thing.
Differentiation in attire was also apparent. Those playing musical instruments were dressed in a certain way, and there were specifically dressed groups of dancers, cheerleaders, basketball players, press and those of higher authority. Those lower in the hierarchy, fans associated with the word “Vandals,” also attended the event.
Closer examination of the often curious behavior of these Vandals exposed underlying reasons for this cultural event. The Vandals made significant amounts of noise in sync, and uniform movements with their arms. They were also subject to high levels of light and noise exposure, and the event sometimes consisted of specific food consumption.
The event provided something many are able to in modern life — a full hyper sensory experience. People were exposed to and utilized sight, smell, hearing and vocalizing, movement and kinetics, smell and taste. They were also able to engage their minds in the observation of the game being played.
Activities in which all senses are fully engaged have become increasingly rare. Events like Vandal basketball games have brought people together and engaged them in a multitude of sensory modes at one time. Activities humans engage in include the visual experience of watching TV, the kinetic experience of “working out” or the mental and auditory experience of sitting in a classroom.
The increasing prevalence of such activities has also seen the rise of stress and related diseases, chronic multitasking and fidgeting. Human beings now also intentionally create situations in which they are able to utilize their many senses.
At the halftime break, a technical failure caused silence in the stadium. People seemed very uncomfortable with the lack of sound, so they began to create noise. The crowd started chanting and the band joined in to fill the silence.
The loudest noise of the night was not associated at all with the bouncing ball on the court. The Vandals became extraordinarily rowdy at the mention of “pizza,” and began yelling and moving. Although the Vandals did not appear in dire need of sustenance — and food was for sale — the idea of shared consumption, of not having to move to get it and friendly competition were a recipe for unprecedented noise.
And what are we learning from this examination of human behavior? That our lavish rituals are an example of our primal needs — those urges that stretch far beyond our busy specialized roles in a multi-tiered mega society. We are simply animals. If our environment doesn’t fulfill our primal sensory desires we will create them through means of our most sacred and powerful tool — culture. In this case we have escalated our use of ritual in the act of a sporting event.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about this rant is the next time you see a horde of mighty Vandals screaming for pizza, you can look at them with overwhelming pride, knowing that they are a testament to humanity’s incredible ability to manifest intricate forms of fulfillment. And after all, who doesn’t like pizza?