Separate Ways (World's Apart)

In a drastic shift of scenery, culture and etiquette I now find myself in a complete different world of professional sports than I was in only weeks ago. Perhaps it was the immediate transition from one continent to another, one industry to the next that exposed so many differences and has revealed so many answers. Throughout the past three weeks, one conclusion has made itself unquestionably clear; working at the NFL Media Center in Tampa, Florida is about as far away as one can get from Seoul, Korea.

The Land of the Morning Calm is a quiet and majestic place, filled with beauty and shades of mystery. Understandably, part of its mystery lays in my inability to comprehend the language. Still, the professional etiquettes of Korean professionals are particularly polite and rooted in kindness and respect. One bows throughout salutations and exchanges business cards immediately when meeting a new co-worker or prospective client. Most importantly, Koreans will ensure that they act in a respectable manner, fearing an unintentional insult above all else. All conversations are mostly tranquil, divided by an equal set of give and take.

Then there is the Super Bowl, “Americas Game,” which is an entertainment anomaly in itself. Luckily, this is my second Super Bowl. As a result, I am not as star struck as I was last year, but I think working this game immediately after time in Asia has made a strong impact and has taught me a lot.

Here, we see the openness of the American sporting industry. Strolling through Radio Row, one can overhear a wide assortment of howls, laughter and screams. People are hugging each other, texting while talking and dressed to the nines. The NFL Network has televisions scattered all across the Tampa Convention Center providing coverage of every second of Super Bowl madness. Players are paraded in front of the media, asked questions for hours and followed like paparazzi.

A little bit different than Samsung Thunder’s “Free Hug” program that takes place after every home game, eh? It is truly overwhelming to see the blatant differences in sports through such a small time frame and large scale. The aspect I find most interesting about these differences is that each culture (and media culture for that matter), exists to naturally. In Seoul, the nature of a sporting event takes place in accordance with the country’s unique culture. Naturally, it is the same for Americans and the way they consume, celebrate and live with sports. Neither is better or worse, it is simply sporting cultural relativism.

As a disclaimer, I will acknowledge that this is not a truly fair comparison as the Super Bowl is a once-a-year extravaganza and this country’s highest touted event. On the flip side, it helps to observe and analyze extreme scenarios, as they can often expose differences the greatest.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed pondering the subject of cultural differences in sports, most of which have been influenced by our trip to Korea. As a result, I will seek to explore some of these questions and themes in my Masters Project, hopefully learning a lot about the world of sports along the way.