Cockfights and Cockblocks (Jocks)

Topic: Balinese Cockfight/American Football

Source: Cultural Anthro, Richard Robbins (p. 17- 25)

Highlights from Super Bowl XLVII (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IZ5gLsp7tM)

National Geographic Taboo Bloodsport (Netflix.com)

Relation: Cultural text is a way of thinking about culture as a text of significant symbols, words, gestures, etc. that carry meaning. We are to view a situation as a text and assign meanings in relation to the culture in which it occurs.

Description: Cockfights hold a significant role in the Balinese culture. They can be the center of many social gatherings. Many members of the community flock to view the spectacle. Handlers secure spurs to the cocks as they prepare them for the encounter. Spectators place bets on the cocks. The crowds cheer on their favorite cocks. In the aftermath, the winner will consume the loser’s cock.

In American football, two teams will face each other with the goal of winning. The two sides play and score touchdowns by getting the ball past the opposing team’s end zone, field goals by kicking the ball through the metal “Y”-shaped goal, and safeties by tackling the opponent in their own end zone. Some fans place bets on their teams. Many more fans cheer their teams on as they play to win. In the end, winners will have victory parties and the losers will hope for a better season next year.

Commentary/Analysis: Many “westernized” cultures share the beliefs that blood sports are barbaric rituals that promote aggression and violence. Cockfights are seen as being unnecessarily violent, as the two birds fight to the death. In nature, the loser would flee and live to fight another day. It is interesting to see the similarities between the American culture and the Balinese culture. In fact, the Balinese word for cock (sabung) carries many of the same meanings as the American version. The jokes made about both are very similar. I also found it interesting that the Balinese people believe their land is shaped like a sabung. I have also heard the same said about the shape of America. Some people have said that Florida represents America’s phallus.

I found it interesting how quickly western cultures pass judgment onto other cultures. Many people consume chicken, and as PETA mentions, the chicken slaughterhouses are very inhumane. It may have to do with the fact that cockfights take place in public, whereas, slaughterhouses are seldom seen.

After reading about doing more research about cockfights, it is interesting to see how much care and effort is required of the trainers. They do whatever they can to ensure that the birds are healthy and ready to fight. I saw several parallels between training for a cockfight and training for other contact sports, such as boxing. The boxers have their hands wrapped and put on boxing gloves much like spurs are secured onto the birds’ legs. Like in cockfighting, the boxers are monitored every time they go down. They are inspected to make sure they can continue fighting.

When stepping out of my own culture and viewing American football, it appears very violent. Although the men are wearing pads, their bodies still feel the impact. Football jargon is also reminiscent of war. Block, flank, blitz, offense, defense, bomb, etc. In addition, I recall many football players from my high school saying: “Football is fun because you get to hit people.”

The word “jock” is often used to describe a football player. It is interesting to see how the word for covering the private area of a man is applied to define him. In addition, a cheerleader’s pom-poms are sometimes used to describe a woman’s breasts. American football demonstrates a clear gender construction in America.