"The notion that football is the biggest force in American culture and entertainment is so ingrained and obvious that it almost seems like something not worth mentioning. Chuck Klosterman feels otherwise: The pop culture writer just devoted an entire book to the sport, and its meaning and importance. But Klosterman also argues that football won't always be the main thing - and that its overwhelming size and scale will be the thing that eventually undermines it."
"One of the big changes in sports - and definitely in football - recently is the legalization of sports bettingYou're taking something that's addictive for some people and marrying it to your phone, which is also addictive for some people. It seems like an obvious way to get in trouble. . It's omnipresent. You seem ambivalent-to-positive about it, which is not where I thought you'd end up."
"Chuck Klosterman: I have been obsessed with sports and football my entire life. And probably 20 years ago, I made an unspoken, abstract decision - at some point, I want to do a book that's just about sports. My initial idea was that it was going to be about basketball, but I realized that's crazy: If you're writing about something that's part of the culture, football is the sport. It's the only one."
Football functioned as the dominant cultural and entertainment force in 20th-century America but may not retain that status in the 21st century. The sport’s immense size, commercialization, and institutional growth create structural vulnerabilities that could erode its centrality. Legalized sports betting pairs addictive wagering with ubiquitous smartphones, expanding engagement while raising societal and ethical concerns. Video games and shifting media consumption alter how fans interact with and perceive the sport. Short-term policies like paying college players deliver immediate benefits but introduce long-term risks that could damage college football and the broader ecosystem of the sport.
Read at Business Insider
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