We were out for dinner last night at the excellent Curry Original when the idea of unproductive idle work popped into my head. One of the problems with modernity is the focus on productivity. Sure it is the cornerstone of the economic miracle that is the hybrid capitalist welfare state, but it eats the brain, too. I am convinced that unproductive effort is necessary to balance the productive to ensure the greatest long-term productivity is maintainable.

That being the case, why are there not classes in sports fan? Sports fanness is one of the great unproductive efforts undertaken in the western world. We watch, we daydream and we discuss the work and expereiences of others to make them our own. We should work to get better at this. After school clubs should arise in which students are trained as to the proper heckles for each sport, the meaning of statistical acronyms as well as the reasons you can claim for supporting this team or that. These clubs should support and morph into service clubs in which plenty of effort is undertaken to refine the knowledge of sports through undertaking public charitable reponsibilities as well as the mastering of marching band tunes on reasonably available instruments, collecting of mid-century pennants and the wearing of caps.

I need to dwell on this some more this afternoon as the NFL plays out on the flickering screen in the rec room. I wonder if this is an adjunct function to the KSPC?