childhood

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Enclosures of culture are inherently difficult to see because they are so seemingly isolated, gradual and invisible. A great example is the commercialization and commodification of play, one of our most instinctive and important human activities, especially in childhood.

So what happens when a giant octopus of a sports industry begins to professionalize and regiment the natural inclinations of play? What happens when a commercial harness is put around our sense of fun and recreation and goofing-around, so that it can become a powerful money-making machine? What happens to ethics and sportsmanship? What happens to the experience of childhood?

These were among the topics discussed at a small conference convened in September 2009 by the Lake Placid Sport Forum in cooperation with the Aspen Institute. The event was one of the more fascinating side-trips that I have taken as a rapporteur. Coming from a wonky political background, I had never personally encountered so many deeply committed athletes in the same room.

Hanging out at a small conference center and private home in Lake Placid, New York, I met Mark Messier and Mike Richter, two legendary former hockey stars with the New York Rangers. I also met Olympic track star Al Joyner and hockey player A.J. Mleczko, among other serious athletes. While each of these people were incredible physical specimens, they were, more to the point, incredibly committed competitors with an almost spiritual focus on the beauty of sports competitions and play itself.  At the conference there were leading sports journalists from Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Business Week. And there were a variety of coaches at all levels (professional, college, amateur), sports physicians and psychologists, journalists, community leaders and parents.