The Roar of the Crowd; Sports fans’ primal behavior

by E Wayne Ross on March 16, 2009

The Chronicle Review: The Roar of the Crowd; Sports fans’ primal behavior

Commentary

Peter A. Facione: A Straight-Talk Survival Guide for Colleges

By DAVID P. BARASH

Marx was wrong: The opiate of the masses isn’t religion, but spectator sports. What else explains the astounding fact that millions of seemingly intelligent human beings feel that the athletic exertions of total strangers are somehow consequential for themselves? The real question we should be asking during the madness surrounding this month’s collegiate basketball championship season is not who will win, but why anyone cares.