Last Thursday, Dr. Cho came to class and told his story about growing up in South Korea and the impact sports had on his life. His presentation really opened my eyes about how I (and Americans) view other cultures and often stereotype people from different nations without even thinking about it. I thought it was very interesting how Dr. Cho started by differentiating Koreans with other nationalities from Asia. As Americans, we often combine Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. into one culture and way of life. However, he made me realize that they are all infact distinct cultures and dont have as much in common as we thought. In addition, he talked about the night/social life of Koreans and it made me realize that they are human and just as fun as Americans.
Also, Dr. Cho talked about his interest in watching and playing American football as a kid growing up in South Korea. This interest was developed due to an American Forces Network, which was shown on TV in Soul because of the U.S. Military stationed there during that time. I was totally unaware that the public was able to get American Military Base TV stations showing the NFL, and even more unaware that football leagues/games were even played in the Asian areas. I believe my "un-awareness" is due to the typical stereotype that American Football is only enjoyed here in the states, and especially not in Asia.
The third thing I want to point out from Dr. Cho's presentation is the video he showed from the World Cup that was held in South Korea. I thought it was amazing to see that many people lined up in the streets so passionate about 1 event/sport/game. Many Americans may believe that we are the most sports oriented country, however, this video shows us that sport fans can come together in any country and be just as passionate. In fact, I believe Dr. Cho said that there was an estimated 3 million fans that lined the streets for the watch party during that specific world cup game. I dont think I have ever heard of such an event in the United States. Bottom line that I took away from Dr. Cho's presentation is that it opened my eyes and made me realize that passionate sport fans exist around the world.
One thing that almost everyone has commented on about Dr. Cho's presentation was that youtube clip he showed with the street cheering. I have to agree with you that there does not seem to be anything comparable to that in the U.S. I wrote on Steve Dunlap's blog that the only thing that might have been comparable would have been the ticker tape parades in New York City (for athletes like Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, Gertrude Ederle and Althea Gibson). However, that was probably only hundreds of thousands--not millions. And consider the size of Seoul by comparison to New York City. I am glad that Dr. Cho's presentation opened your eyes to how passionate fans are in other parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteI also couldn't believe how many fans were in the streets that day. It made me wish I were apart of something that special. I hope to visit a world cup event someday!
ReplyDelete