In class,
we discussed Gunnar telling Scoby in a letter that he “sympathize[s] with these
animals ‘cause this place makes [him] feel like a racehorse” (Beatty 146). The
more I thought about this passage, the more I realized how many ways it could
apply to Gunnar.
Let’s first
think about racehorses. Racehorses are used for entertainment purposes, usually
with people betting on the outcome of races. They are constantly trained and
looked after carefully to make sure they are in good physical condition.
Certain breeds of horses are seen as better for the sport, having more agility
or whatever traits that are needed. The racehorses make a lot of money for
their owners but are only valuable to those owners for a certain amount of
time. While racehorses may have a brief claim to fame, they are generally forgotten
as they fade out of the spotlight. Several horses are euthanized as they get
injuries too great to recover from, such as breaking a leg. Doesn’t sound so
great for the horses, does it?
Now think
about basketball. Basketball is a form of entertainment, probably one that
several of us enjoy watching. A stereotype seen in Beatty’s book and present
today is that black people are better at basketball. Gunnar is constantly
pushed and monitored to be at his best level for each game. While playing
college basketball, Gunnar isn’t really getting much benefit from it, instead, others
make money through his efforts. We see all of these colleges trying to recruit
him, but each college just wants to be the one to profit from Gunnar’s talent.
However, just like racehorses, basketball players slow down and many get
forgotten, becoming discarded as their talent is no longer the same as it was.
This paragraph unfortunately echoes many of the things of the prior paragraph.
What we see
in basketball and racehorses is this system where the people who benefit are
not those putting in the effort. The owners get money and the fans get the
enjoyment of watching the sport. In some cases like Gunnar’s, the people (or
horses) don’t actually want to be playing for all these people but end up in
that situation because of their talent. One interesting thing with racehorses
is that certain breeds are seen as being better racehorses which reminds me of
the whole notion of African-Americans being better at basketball, or athletics
in general. In both of these cases, I see somebody being exploited for the
benefit for others. What was first read by me as a casual comment seems to be
so true on so many levels its surprising. It makes me just wonder how many
other hidden meanings I missed while reading the novel. Maybe I’m looking too
deep into this. What do you think?
I definitely see this connection as well. Scoby and Gunnar are treated as forms of entertainment for the majority of the book, and this connects very closely to the racehorses. This connection also goes further to even connect to slavery, as slaves were also viewed as animals.
ReplyDeleteCollege students trying to make it into the NBA go to an event called the NBA Draft Combine, where they're measured for several things like height, weight, vertical, speed, strength and more. Scouts from all the NBA teams are there watching, taking notes. Before they can make it to the NBA, almost every player has to attend this combine where they're practically reduced to statistics and numbers, not being seen truly as people.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Like the racehorses, professional athletes are often dehumanized and almost groomed for the benefit of rich team owners. Also, your point about the different breeds of horses or certain races of basketball players is really interesting. There is definitely a racial aspect in the NBA; this became really apparent to me when Jeremy Lin was drafted and was blatantly discriminated against (in this case there is a preconceived notion against a certain race)- and at the height of his career, was sort of forced off the team due to another all-star teammate. And now that he's 30, he's almost disregarded as a player- which lines up with the race horse parallel as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting connection that Beatty makes and I love the way that you dig into it. Another connection between basketball players and racehorses is diet. College and professional basketball teams have nutritionists on hand to meal plan for the athletes, providing them with the exact nutrients they need in exact quantities to maximize performance. Similarly, racehorses are fed certain foods in specific quantities to maximize performance and energy. It's a little eerie how the longer you think about this comparison, the more similarities you find.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I think is important is how the general society talks about these players. It's not just managers and owners and coaches that benefit from the system. Regular sports watchers talk about players as if the only thing they can offer is statistics or talent. It really makes me think hard about the way I think about sports when considering the comparison to racehorses and animals.
ReplyDeleteI saw a lot of this "racehorse" ideology in the basketball camp Gunnar went to, where players literally wore their ranking (from 1 to 100) on their jerseys, and coaches only being concerned about their stats. It's like they're just tools, just objects rather than people.
ReplyDeleteI agree that athletes get objectified a disturbing amount where people only care about their physical aspects- just like horses. When you reduce people to just numbers, stats, and performance, you risk dehumanizing them completely. This is especially bad for black players, since they already face a certain amount of dehumanization in America. It really disturbs me that the heavy focus on healthcare and nutrition for athletes often has more to do with their performance than their inherent value as human beings, and how easily they're forgotten once they're not seen as providing entertainment anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe racehorse/basketball thing as an analogy for slavery hit me hard. It really did seem like that. Gunnar got physicals every day and was treated well but we know that if he didn't have the skills he wouldn't be there. As soon as he outlives his usefulness people won't pay attention to him anymore. Like a racehorse, he is valued as an object but given no inalienable rights.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were discussing this passage I thought back to Schoolteacher's chapter in Beloved. There are a ton of eerie similarities in Gunnar's situation. In essence, they only see him as an animal, hence the numbering, weighing, and other wacky stuff they do. I think Scoby feels the same way with everyone idolizing him. They really dehumanize him and thus he feels there's no way to freedom but suicide, which in itself is awful and terribly depressing.
ReplyDeleteThe analogy of racehorses and basketball really seems to fit well. Gunnar was unexplainably gifted and treated well yet we all know if he didn't have that gift it would be a different story. This is similar to a racehorse and further show how much this is taxing on a person. Essentially turning a person into nothing more than a prized possession.
ReplyDelete