Sports

Sports have become a cultural center over the past 50-100 years. What began as small organizations of people competing against each other for fun has become a multibillion-dollar business that continues to grow. Just over fifty years ago people were playing basketball with a peach basket and football gear consisted of a worn down pair of cleats and leather helmet. The grass fields were lit by car lights and the only fans were people walking through the neighborhood. As sports rapidly gained prominence there exclusiveness and value grew. There is a multitude of documentaries which walk through the absurdly overburdened life of a kid with dreams of playing in the NBA. These kids, some starting in 1st and 2nd grade, compete against each other year round. The high school season is their offseason as they play against smaller, and less skilled kids. By the time the kids actually reach high school they have already talked with several college coaches and have large shoe corporations knocking at their door. If they are able to get through their high school careers without performing poorly or injuring themselves then they might play at the D1 level in a system which is built against them (that's a whole other conversation). Still, a shockingly small percentage of these kids end up as professionals. This is just the process for basketball and it is similar for the other major sports. What began as a simple game of throwing a ball in a basket or getting the ball across a line has expanded to encompass and dominate someone's entire life.