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AmericanSport–Introduction
11
cialandsocialintegrationandplayedanimportantroleinbinding
thecountrytogether7.
AsfortheUnitedStates,certainaspectsofcontemporaryAmeri-
cansportcanbeexplainedbylookingbackintothepast,namelythe
periodofthefirstwhitesettlersinAmerica.Puritanswerededicated
toenforcethedisciplineofhardworkasamoralvalue.Lazinesswas
consideredtobeasourceofsinandevil.AsRichardPowers–whoex-
aminedtherelationsbetweensportsandAmericanculture–states,
“TePuritans’waragainstsportsmaybetracedtotheirequation
ofworkwithprayerandtheirbeliefthatthedivineelectionwasac-
companiedbyaneasyrejectionofidleness”8.Despitetheubiquitous
unfavorableattitudestowardgamesandenjoymentcodifiedinthe
booksofthefirstsettlers,andlawsagainstsports,sportsinmiscella-
neousformswerepracticedfromtheverybeginning.Tesewerefor
examplewrestling,footracesorhorseracing.
OneofthemainfeaturesofAmericansportisobsessionwithwin-
ningatanycost.Inmostothercountriessilverandbronzemedalsare
akindofsuccess,butintheUSAitisonlywinningthatcounts.To
putitbluntly,beingsecondbestmeansbeingaloser.Incontempo-
raryAmericansociety,notonlyinsport,thiswin-at-any-costethicis
easytobenoticed.AsRichardG.Powersconcludes,“Today’sfasci-
nationwiththemoralsignificanceofwinning,withtheaccompany-
ingneglectoftheplayelementinsports,maybeanatavisticsurvival
ofthisPuritanoutlook”9.Asamatteroffact,itisnotsomethingone
hundredpercentcertain,asinothercountrieswithoutPuritanhis-
torythesituationmaylooksimilar.
AnotherinterestingaspectofAmericanculture,alsosport,is
Americanexceptionalism,havingitssourceingettingisolatedfrom
thecorruptedOldWorldandconcentratingonlyononeself.Tisidea
wasbornasareactiontoBritishimperialism.Asfarassportswere
concerned,itwasareactiontowardstypicallyBritishgamesofsoc-
7
JackieRobinsonwasthefirstblackplayertoplayintheAmericanmajorleagues
duringthetwentiethcentury.OnApril15,1947,hebrokethedecades-oldcolorbar
ofMajorLeagueBaseballwhenheappearedonthefieldfortheNationalLeague
BrooklynDodgers.
8
R.G.Powers,SportsandAmericanCulture[in:]L.S.Luedtke(ed.),MakingAmerica,
9
USIA,Washington1991,p.207.
Ibidem.
