Chapter 10 Summary

In this essay, Orwell shares his secret heart-felt belief that the phenomenon of sport is not, in fact, a means of amicable bonding as the world thinks. Rather it is a seed of "ill-will," as he calls it, between sides. Orwell purports amazement at ever hearing that sport creates goodwill as he feels it only serves to enflame hostility. He mentions the fact that newspapers and the like have not been able to conceal such national competitive enmity, citing coverage of the riotous frenzies of the 1936 Olympic Games.

Orwell concedes that, in the absence of nationalist feelings, as in local friendly games, it would be possible to play for fun and recreation. Otherwise, competitive attitudes preempt games with ideals of prestige to be kept and disgrace to be avoided at all costs. Team players, in their minds, emulate soldiers in combat, spurred on...