Sports in a Socialist Society

[Peace on Earth]

In a future socialist/communist/left-ist society, is there (or should there be) room for sporting events?

Obviously the type of sport that exists in society today isn't desireable. But if the corporate control and systematic abuses within the current system were eradicated, is the essence of sports something that a better society would look to achieve?

[Nachie]

It would be sort of the same, except you have to pass the ball to each member of your team before anyone is allowed to take a shot on goal.

[Peace on Earth]

Is that a serious response, or do I smell a troll under the bridge?

[mikelepore]

The fundamental idea of socialism is social ownership and democratic control of the industries and services. All other details are uncertain and we could argue about them endlessly without reaching a consensus. I think it's good to think about and talk about the many possible details, but be forewarded that whatever seems like the right answer to one person may be just as quickly rejected by the next person.

[this is an invasion]

If there isn't soccer after the revolution then I will become reactionary.

Sorry.


No I'm not.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Yes there will be sports - and more of it because we will have more free-time and won't be so damn tired. Just think - most kids play sports regularly for fun, but as you get into your 20s this decreases a lot and unless you join a community team or a team through your work, you probably don't play any team sports. It generally just gets too hard in the modern US and other places to find the free space, and more importantly the free-time where a dozen or more people can get together to play regualrly.

Will there be pro-sports? I don't know, but probably because as much as it is fun to play sports, it is also fun to watch highly skilled people do it too. I doubt that they would be professional as in this is the only thing they do with their time and energy (i.e. train and compete professionally). My guess is that community leagues would compete against each-other and their might be different levels or semi-regular tournaments or something like that.

Athletes under capitalism are run into the ground - linebackers in US football usually don't live that long and have terrible health consequences, so I think without the profit-motive of the sports bosses, athletes would probably be more well-rounded physically and the goal would be to play and have fun and win, but not to dominate in the small window of time you have to earn contracts and endorsement deals.

[DragonQuestWes]

Of course there will still be sports. Socialist/Communist/Left-wing society in a daily life sense is just like a Capitalist society minus the corporate bourgeoisie.

There's kids around playing sports and/or video games, using the internet, watching TV and doing all sorts of recreational stuff. We have people enjoying life regardless of who's in charge.

[Thirsty Crow]

Socialist/Communist/Left-wing society in a daily life sense is just like a Capitalist society minus the corporate bourgeoisie.

If it were so, revolution would have failed miserably.

[Jimmie Higgins]

If it were so, revolution would have failed miserably.I know what you mean, but I think the comrade was saying that generally what people like to do socially wouldn't be all that different: things like hanging out with friends, entertainment, sports and so on.

[ComradeOm]

In a future socialist/communist/left-ist society, is there (or should there be) room for sporting events? Of course. Not everyone will be content to sit around and read Das Kapital all day. I would look to the GAA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_Athletic_Association) as an example of how amateur sports can be run on an almost professional basis. Obviously that organisation is far from perfect but it does serve as a useful template for inter-communal/county/national sports


It would be sort of the same, except you have to pass the ball to each member of your team before anyone is allowed to take a shot on goal.Its been done. By the Spanish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS1TgoF8htg)


Will there be pro-sports? I don't know, but probably because as much as it is fun to play sports, it is also fun to watch highly skilled people do it tooIts an interesting question. One of the big tactical changes in football (soccer) came during the 1960s (USSR) and 1970s (Netherlands) when increased nutritional sciences and professionalism allowed for the development of the pressing game. Following on from this, football as we know it today (at the higher levels) would be impossible to play without the supreme fitness of the modern professional sportsman

And professionalism (ie, dedicated to training full-time) is required. International rugby has changed considerably as a result of the superior fitness of the players (particularly the increased mobility and stamina of the forwards) since the introduction of professionalism in the mid 1990s. Similarly, elite Irish inter-county gaelic players train as hard and as often as anyone can while holding down a steady job and still fall far short of the fitness of their professional counterparts in soccer or Aussie Rules

[Jolly Red Giant]

Ireland beating the crap out of England will never get tired - revolution or not. :thumbup1:

[RadioRaheem84]

Have you guys forgotten that the USSR, East Germany and Cuba were dynamite forces in the Olympics?

[DragonQuestWes]

Have you guys forgotten that the USSR, East Germany and Cuba were dynamite forces in the Olympics?

Not to mention that Cuba dominated the baseball scene.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Have you guys forgotten that the USSR, East Germany and Cuba were dynamite forces in the Olympics?
Awesome with the drugs too :cool:

[Bubbles]

Awesome with the drugs too :cool:
Both super powers used drugs. (: And athletes still do.

Anyway, under socialism and communism I want to spend more time doing different kinds of sports.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Both super powers used drugs.
Yes they did - however, in the West it was pretty much by private enterprise of the individual - in the East it was state-sponsored by the Stalinists.


Anyway, under socialism and communism I want to spend more time doing different kinds of sports.
You will have the time anyway.