bread and circuses

[prwales]

The term originates with Juvenal a Roman writer who deplored the quality of civil life in post republican Rome. It has come to mean something else, as a diversion for the masses, something to draw their attention from the reality that they find themselves in.
Public entertainment was fundamental to the Roman Empire, a forum or a colosseum or some kind of amphitheatre existed in every significant settlement, sometimes more than one. At its height Caligula used the Colosseum for the most barbaric types of blood lust.
This all fell away post Rome the public diversion/entertainment took the form of religious occasions, Easter, Xmas, the numerous saints and holy days. The Roman format returned in 1936 when the Nazis hosted the XI Olympiad, when a circus was created to prove a political point, this has continued ever since but not just with the Olympics.

We have the World Cup
European Nations Cup football
African Nations Cup
Copa America
Cricket World Cup
Rugby World Cup
and many more some obscure and some very regional but their purpose is entertainment, diversion and selling.
The circuses have become important economically in their own right as vehicles for food, drink and various types of sporting memorabilia. Blair was desperate to secure the London 2012 Olympics to secure his legacy, Brazil likewise to show the world that it wasn't some rank shi7h0l3. Moscow 1980 was boycotted by the USA and many of her satellites, likewise LA in 1984 by the Warsaw Pact nations. Countries have tried to demonstrate their national prowess most notably East Germany, following in Hitler's footsteps in many respects with the Socialist supermen and women rather than Aryan ones.
Now we have the film series the hunger games, art parodying real life but the real life is the transit of poor southern athletes to the Gulf, to the UK [Mo Farah] and very obviously to soccer clubs in Europe from African poverty.

What is the answer...athletes to compete as individuals and not as national talent as it was in the past but no one can tell me the original Olympians/sporting heroes didn't get clandestine support from Athens, Thebes, Lydia, Sparta or Corinth.
I do feel money is destroying sport but I haven't got the answer, has anyone out there?

 

[Craiglxviii]

The ancient Mediterranean athletes also did all of their competitions while bollocky- bufters too. I'm not sure I'd like to see Linford Christie doing the 200 metres while "tackle- out" so while the spirit of the ancient games might be the way forwards, their details may leave something to be desired...

Point to note, politics was as active and nasty (much nastier) than it is now, too. Don't view the ancient past through rose tinted specs. The Games were a way of selecting military champions and preparing the populous for war.

In terms of sport and money, there is no easy or simple answer. Limit athletes' salaries to say £100k, limit the amount that organisers can charge, increase national oversight of athletes' drug screening. That's about it really.

 

[prwales]

I suppose that I'm just as interested in the way sport acts as diversion, how the the sporting fix we are injected with is timed, the merry go round of each sport, we have just finished the 6 nations but the Lions is in its way this summer, a biennial fix half way between the RWC.
We get general elections every 5 years but in between we have at least one Olympics, one World cup, a European cup, an annual European champions cup, 5 6 Nations a RWC, a cricket world cup and possibly two ashes series. Sport dominates.

 

[Taffy7hfa]

Bread and Circuses has been replaced by McDonalds and I pads.

 

[Craiglxviii]

It depends how much one is into sport. I like rugby & cricket, but I really wouldn't be bothered if they weren't shown or even existed. I have far better things to put my time into so for me there are no circuses.