America. Forlorn, tired, and stressed. The sky seems to be falling everyday, either figuratively or literally. No matter the political party, social ideology or favorite sports team, Americans are wondering what the future holds. One of the most popular messages circled during the recent presidential campaign was that America isn’t what it ought to be right now. It was either not as “great” as it should be or not as inclusive as it should be. 

 

I think both sides of the political chasm would agree: that idea, of America somehow askew, scares them. And everyday, both sides feel an intense need to re-affirm their beliefs, therefore entrenching themselves further into their positions. In my lifetime, I have never felt a greater sense of “history being made” than I have in the past five months. Trump’s victory in November was the first time I felt like I had an out-of-body-historical-moment, where I felt like part of the words on a page of a future history textbook. 

 

“America’s nationalist/populist resurgence came to the forefront in the 2010s. With the election of President Donald Trump, America’s deep social, economic and political divides were exposed once again, and Americans looked inwards, trying to determine exactly what made them Americans.” This thought has crossed my mind almost daily, causing me to become hyper-aware of American culture and traditions. There seems to be a perceived loss of tradition between that of my generation, the millennials, and that of my parents’ generation. And that perception goes both ways, I believe, with each side trying to determine exactly what they want to keep hold of and what they want to leave in the past. 

 

And while there is an abundance of political practices that are ripe for intellectual investigation, scrutiny and examination, I don’t feel politically experienced enough to do that work at the moment (give me 15 years maybe?). However, as an avid sports fan, I feel that there are some issues concerning American sports that I can take a stab at, simply because I engross myself in sportzball every day.

​

It’s no surprise to anyone that American sports have changed dramatically in the past 10 years with the rise of social media, and in the past 20 years with the rise of both technology and the internet. The experience of going to a sports game has changed forever, with cell phone service becoming a higher priority than the view of the field/court from your seat. 

 

The increased analysis of numbers has also dramatically changed sports. Saber-metrics have been adopted by all the major American sports leagues and they are beginning to dramatically effect how the games are played. 

 

Because of these changes, American sports have reached several crossroads (or maybe one crossroad with seemingly endless roads). Are our traditions, which made our sport a part of American culture, still marketable in 2017? Do we have the ability to create new traditions, or is it only up to the fans to sanction any change to traditions? What is our number one priority: having traditions, the highest quality of play, or the highest profit margins? Is the point of the game to have fun or to be the most statistically dominant team? Is it healthy for teams to bend and stretch the rules because the numbers say they should? What made the great players of American sports great, their stats or their stories? These questions and more are now on the minds of fans and executives alike. 

​

​

​

Okay we’ve reached the time in this article for some concrete examples, some tangible effects. Let’s start with Basketball. The 3-pt shot has revolutionized the way the game is played, led by the exuberant Splash Brothers, effecting not only the where the game is played on the court, but also making traditional skills/positions obsolete. On top of that, teams are building their rosters differently in today’s NBA, and it has changed the value placed on the regular season (Cavs vs Warriors finals anyone?).