Sports ~ A Conspiracy?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Reading a list of goofy(no, not Disney's Goofy) conspiracy theories about mind control, this one it seems you could almost make a case for.

2 - Sports Are Designed To Divide And Control Us
One theory claims that organized sports were designed by a secret shadow government. According to the theory, indoctrination starts young with school and community sports, employing coaches for the express purpose of acclimating children to obeying an authority figure other than their parents so they will be more pliable for the government later.

Children are taught that dominance and competition are all that matter, with the hope that they will abandon intellectual pursuits and remain good little drones for the people who are truly controlling the world.

Later on in life, these sports traditions are meant to serve an even more insidious purpose. In colleges, they sap money meant for real education and keep people focused on aggression.

For women, cheerleading pigeonholes them into roles as obedient breeders for the males in society. These elite places of learning are not just tools to turn young people into pawns in the overarching sports conspiracy—they are also designed to brainwash them in general and teach them immoral values like sexual promiscuity.

The secret government then uses professional sports on the regional and city level to divide people by polarizing them over team loyalty. This shadowy organization of elite leaders doesn’t mind the occasional riot because it means people are being kept focused on the wrong things.

Well damn, sports do seem to accomplish those things in some... ok, many cases, but the conspiracy part is hard to swallow.

Long ago and far away, the only diversion from survival was sex, and really that was part of survival. When Ogg was done, not caring if Oggette was too, he turned to cave painting. From that time until the mid-20th century brought us more electrical/electronic diversions that you can shake a battery at, it was sports & games.

Kick the human skull, or polo, or skiing, or chess, the gamut of sports & games have been the escape from reality for a large part of the human tribe.
So it doesn't need a conspiracy, just some people wanting diversion.
Or some control freaks wanting to boss people around, especially young people.
Or some smart people who figured out how to make money from sports.

Well, that's my theory, which is why it's in Philosophy and not Sports... YTMV(your theory may vary).