Game Day USA

INTRODUCTION

According to Jack Nachbar and Kevin Louse, popular culture is the products of human work and thought which are (or have been) accepted and approved of by a large community or population. Popular culture forms the vast majority of the artifact and events which compose our daily lives, but it does not consist of our entire culture (it surrounds us, but does not drown other opportunities for existence apart from it).
In this paper, we will discuss about the game day in America which is belonging to ritual. In the house of popular culture, ritual itself is in event floor. Rituals are highly patterned symbolic events in which we all participate as away of marking important passages in our individual lives or in society as a whole, in which we bind our culture together in a celebration of our common beliefs and values and in which we release tension and anxiety in a social acceptable, ‘safe’ manner.
There are key elements of popular rituals:
1.They use elements from the other rooms (heroes, stereotype, icons)
2.They are formulaic (the heart of the meaning is in their repetitiousness).
3.They are performed in special places > “sacred” vs “profane”
4.Popular rituals verify popular beliefs and values.
This paper is made based on the article of Charlottesville, VA Eastman Kodak and Thommason Grant titled Game Day USA. We will discuss about how this event becomes a ritual in America society, the history, the heroes, the stereotype, icons, beliefs and vales which related in this events.







CONTENT
A.Game Day in America
Games Day provides a grand celebration of the certain community. In America, Game Day refers to football match which is held by college, senior high school or certain state. American football might be branded “murder” because it can kill the player and injuries many of people, then even today, statistic reveal that more women report physical abuse from their husband or boyfriend during the Super Bowl than at any other time of the year. Violence is the characteristic of this game, when the helmet collisions make football particularly vicious, so that people look at this game as a theater of war and as if they state that it is their characteristic. Even the editor in this article has defined that violence is national character of America.
American football unites American people regardless of their ethnic, gender, social, age, economic level, geography, politics, etc. It brings together everyone without considering their identity. Everybody can participate in this game, whether as player, spectator, or anything which is related inside. The fans come from all corners of the state and region and they have enthusiasm to watch this game directly in stadium or just watch in TV.
American football is belonging to secular (non religious) popular ritual which provides us some of the same emotional needs and also provides us with a sense of inner well-being. So, as secular ritual, American football share several key elements:
1.It uses elements from the other rooms in the house of popular culture. This elements are heroes which is represented by coach and players, define stereotype which provide roles for everyone (fans and cheerleaders can not be separated from this game), and icons which are represented by pennants and mascots.
2.American football applications are formulaic. Because it has same structure of the ritual before and after the football match in all areas of the country that is always repeated every time (the same rules of the game apply, bands march at all half time ceremonies, coaches rage at referees and fans at both, etc).
3.American football is performed in special places. The special place named ‘stadium’ and the main entrance in this stadium become a transition from profane place to sacred place.

B.Types of Popular Ritual
Then, to discover the function and the meanings inside them, American football will be classified into several types of popular ritual. They are:
1.Rites of unity.
Because American football had unified all people from different background in social, political, cultural, educational, ethnic, etc. it makes of them feel a part of something larger and grander than their individual lives. When people come together in stadium, they will become one to support their favorite team.
2.Rites of season.
American football usually is held in fall or autumn season. in university, football match is held at autumn season in homecoming day to the student.
3.Rites of reversal.
It provides audience to act nuts, like yelling, screaming, singing aloud, flying their flag, and give all expression that they feel during the match. They can do anything crazy in stadium then become normal if the match is over.
4.Rites of spectacle.
American football provides passive spectators, it means they can not jumped or join into match, then annoying the match itself. They can do anything as they do not make a chaos in that match. They just watch and sit directly or indirectly.


C.Game Day in the South, Midwest, and West (according to the article)
The south (article written by Willy Morries)
It begins with the Ole Miss-Vanderbilt game of October 28, 1989, in Oxford, Missisipi when it was Ole Miss Homecoming. The ritual of the game might be as follow: two hours before the kick off, the young men of the home team, led by coach, walked single file as avid tailgaters applauded. From the distance the band played ‘From Dixie with love’ followed by little girls. The hero from this match is Roy Lee ‘Chucky’ Mullins, a cornerback of Ole Miss gets serious injuries so that he has to been taken to hospital. This accident would not easily be obliterated. Therefore, there was no celebration in the locker room of Ole Miss Players. In short, they finally try to win the game in order to present the victory for their fallen teammate. They try to chase the score in last moment of the match. This story reflects that life often does not work that way. A great sporting event indeed emulates life, its gallantries and failure and its time running out. When the time runs out, there are only love remain, hope, and the possibility.

The Midwest (article written by Frank Conroy)
It happens in The Heartland that agriculture region of the Midwest that includes Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and vast stretches west of the Mississippi and in many ways the name seems apt. The national interest in sport can be seen in its purest form, as an expression of regional pride, as a celebration off the power and beauty of youth. Sports here are bound to family and community. The fans seem truly come together, to infect each other with their enthusiasm and hope in a very different way, in church. People show the colors logo of hawk, yellow and black as represent the color of corn and topsoil. They use yellow and black banners, pennants, jacket, sweat shirt, running suits, sock, sweater, etc. Even almost all shop windows and restaurant full of banners. On game day, the visitors are everywhere. Everyone enthusiasm want to get closer with the field. Band music float like invisible smoke before the game begins. In the Heartland, some things remain relatively simple: the pleasure of coming together had confirmed the power of common ritual: the affirmation of decency and fair play, of self respect, and hard work. It’s all still there, tacit and modest most of the time, but truly celebrated on game day. The spirit of people lifts every actions and contrary.

The west (article written by Richard Hoffer)
In Ohio, the idea of football game played in full. People remain to watch a football game although the day is rainy. They make a resolution: that is where they will go. That place is also often attacked by the earthquake. So, there are a parade, a football game and earthquake, but people still come to the stadium. It is showed that people there is very enthusiasm for game day. In the West, hard work was not only not enough, it may have been irrelevant. Variety of experience was the point for all pioneers.

D.Symbolic meaning of Game Day
Player and coach. In this game, they symbolized the hero who becomes important role in this game. The spectators will admire them because their brave, patriotic, power, confidence, hard work, strategy to reach a victory.
Cheerleaders. It symbolizes the motivation and support for team in this game. They always give their spirit in order the team get new spirit to win the game.
Pennants and mascot. It symbolizes the icon of the team which will give certain power to do better in the game.
Helmet. It symbolizes safety for each player. In a real life, people also think to their safety when they do dangerous activity.

E.Beliefs and Values that embodied in this game day
American people believe that the victory will be reached with hard work, discipline, dedication, struggle, good strategy and passion in this life.
Positive: this game will bring together all people in different background, it will emerge the nationalism for the heart of American people, it will learn people about how manage the teamwork well to get same vision in competition.
Negative: the violence inside the game will make someone gets serious injuries and even dead.



CONCLUSION
In our conclusion after we learn this essay, we conclude that American football ritual had became the heart of American people since they present his game to reflect their character nationality during its repetitions year by year. Violence inside the game is the uniquely of American football which is long standing, but the widespread and intense popularity of the sport is remarkable.





REFERENCES
Nachbar, Jack and Lause, Kevin.1992. Popular Culture: An Introductiory Text.
http://www.usafootball.com/glossary/glossary/index/officials/F
www.footballbabble.com