But the point is, it does make sense: it's a way of building up irrational attitudes of submission to authority, and group cohesion behind leadership elements — in fact, it's training in irrational jingoism. That's also a feature of competitive sports. I think if you look closely at these things, I think, typically, they do have functions, and that's why energy is devoted to supporting them and creating a basis for them and advertisers are willing to pay for them and so on.

this is the only part I particularly agree with, the rest is pretty half-hearted analysis by somebody in an intellectual circle trying to justify their superiority to the rubes, whether that's the intention or not.

this isn't to say that sports are always bad anymore than, say, nationalism is always bad. the idea of "I was born in a place surrounded by fans of this team, and thus I must also support this team" is a pretty transferable mentality to geopolitics. it's very anti-internationalist and keeps you believing that you have more in common with your billionaires than the working class in the countries your empire is routinely destroying. but sports can also be a positive force for building camaraderie so I wouldn't go as far as the reddit-esque critique of "sportsball, amiright?"