In his novel ‘A Modern Utopia’, H.G. Wells argues against sports and their rise in American society as being an instrument of distraction of the masses — an institution that stands against what a free society would truly hold important.
“Our Founders made no peace with this organisation of public sports. They did not spend their lives to secure for all men and women on the earth freedom, health, and leisure, in order that might waste lives in such a folly.”
Now admittedly, I hadn’t given much thought to the merit of this argument prior to the last few weeks.