For most of us, our thoughts this time of the year turn to thoughts of the holidays and possibly even New Year's resolutions. And for a large percentage of the American public, thoughts also turn to sports as the football bowl season is fully upon us even as basketball tournaments are also in full swing: It's no surprise that big-screen televisions are one of the most popular holiday gift items. And they're not being used to watch home movies of friends and families but rather college and professional football games. This time of the year - replete as it is with both sporting events and promises to live a fuller and more rewarding life in the months to come - provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on what sports mean to us.
Or rather, this is an excellent time to reflect on the statements that the particular kids of sports that we each watch make about us. For while we often hear generic descriptions about "sports fans", there is in fact a world of difference between hockey fans and ice-skating fans and at least a substantial degree of difference between basketball fans and soccer fans. What sport we choose to align ourselves with - in addition to what particular team - says a great deal about who it is that we would like to be.
The connection between sports teams and totem animals has been discussed before: Just as traditional peoples once prayed to wolves or ravens or bears to give them strength and courage to survive the rigors of their lives. In our own time, when few Americans face the kinds of life-and-death struggles that defined the daily life of people living in subsistence conditions, we have transformed our totems into vicarious form:
Since the beginning of time, people have associated various characteristics, attributes and even some healing properties to the animals that were native to their particular area. Picabo Street is certainly not unique in her use of identifying animal totems to perhaps influence her th...