The Convergence of Work,Sport,and Gambling in America

Abstract

The changing nature of work brought about by increased mechanization and the division and specializa tion of labor has decreased opportunities for meaningful, satis fying experiences on the job. Although work was traditionally the only legitimate means for upward mobility, gambling has emerged as an alternative route to riches and a method for escaping the tedium of contemporary jobs. Sports have be come the vehicle through which the majority of gambling is done. The proliferation of legalized gambling as a conse quence of boredom in the world of work not only diverts public attention from critical social issues and constructive methods for handling them, it also demeans sports by sub jugating them to materialistic escapist ends.