This is the second in a series of eight articles about the significance of sports in American culture.

Q: Why is sports so important in American culture?

A: Sports provides events that unite people in common experiences. Parents of children in public schools, alumni of colleges and stalwart fans of professional teams share a camaraderie in supporting their favorite teams.

Americans identify with sports teams and sports idols. There now are year-round seasons for the top sports so fans can stay involved with spectator sports all year. There are sports bars and sports television networks. Sportscasters discuss games before the games, during the games, during instant replays and after the games.

Sports provides individuals with opportunities for cathartic experiences to escape the confines of day-to-day life. Sports also represents life themes that embody cultural values.

The American obsession with sports is not unique to sports. In this culture, people become caught up in activities and develop addictive habits. Sports joins television, video games, computers and cell phones as obsessive preoccupations in today's culture.

Each professional team has a nickname, a mascot, team colors, a logo and sometimes a cheerleading squad. College and high school teams have school colors, nicknames and cheerleaders. High schools have pep rallies. Colleges have tailgate parties. Professional sports have halftime shows. In other words, sports is an entertainment extravaganza.

Parents and community recreation programs invest a lot of time and money in developing sports programs for children. There is a belief in this culture that participation in sports is the best way to teach children positive cultural values. These values include positive self-esteem, team play, cooperation, self-discipline, hard work and playing by the rules.

However, what are the values that are apparent in both spectator and participating sports? If one were to characterize sports in one word, that word would be competition. One of the greatest myths we tell children is that it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. Children figure out at a young age that teams compete to win. Winning is the coveted prize, not good sportsmanship.

The American economic structure is based upon free enterprise and competition. The object of business is to make the most profit possible. In order to succeed, a business must defeat the competition and be the best. Sports is based on the same values as business -- competition and winning.

Sports also has become a big business itself. Athletes sign contracts for millions of dollars. They endorse products. They advertise for specific businesses. The teams that win the playoffs get a lot more money than those who lose.

Since the late 1950s, television has incorporated college sports events into its business. Television pays winning teams more in contracting to televise their sporting events. More revenue from networks for winning teams has escalated colleges into competing to recruit the best players.

Thus, the media, in particular, television, has influenced sports toward even more importance in the culture. The attention paid to sports idols includes interviews on everything from their athletic abilities to their political philosophies. Americans always have idolized athletes as heroes, but there has been a steady increase in exposure to famous athletes in the last 50 years.

Another valued American pastime that has become intertwined with spectator sports is drinking. People drink at tailgate parties. People drink when they attend professional sports events. People flock to sports bars to drink while they watch games. People invite friends over to watch games and drink. People celebrate by drinking when their favorite team wins.

In the Olympics in Greek and Roman times, sports emphasized personal excellence. Athletes focused on doing their best performances for personal excellence, not for outdoing others. Americans, on the other hand, play to win.

* Next week's article will continue to discuss values in sports that affect culture.

Judy Caprez is associate professor and director of social work at Fort Hays State University. Send your questions to her in care of the department of sociology and social work, Rarick Hall, FHSU.