And the Fans Go Wild: Writing About Sports Heroes in Film

William Hays
LIBA 102, Section 27 – T TH 04:00P-05:15P

In this course, students will explore (through viewing, discussing, reading, researching, and writing) the various roles of  the sports hero in film. Documenting our passion for sport is easy, but explaining why fan passion is so deeply embedded in our culture is complex and baffling at times. After all, “fan” is a clipped word for “fanatic.” Is it nature? Something embedded in our collective DNA over millions of years of evolution. Or is it nurture? Whatever the answer may be, there is nothing that reduces us to tribalism more than sport, save, perhaps, religious and political choices. If we do form tribes when it comes to sport, and surely we do, then tribal rituals abound: chants, dances, feasting, imbibing, and story-telling. Then there is the battle itself, and the celebration or mourning after the “hurly-burly is done.” Tribes, of course, have heroes, and sports tribes are no different. In this course, students will explore (through viewing, discussing, reading, researching, and writing) the various roles of  the sports hero in film.