Up up and Away in Sports

The world of athletics is obsessed with “up”. There are obvious indicators such as the scoring methodology, where more is better and higher is victorious.

Why would you ever want to have less or be lower?

The only noticeable counterargument for this is timed events.

In addition, there are subtle tendencies such as the shape of the podium and the raising of the hand for the victor in boxing. The sports community thrives off competition, and through that, an acceptance of “up” equates to superiority. I looked deeper into this phenomenon and discovered the roots of this train of thought traces back to the first sport: wrestling (essentially organized fighting). At the surface there is kicking, punching, and scratching but underneath the madness, the easiest way to win was putting the opponent hopelessly on the ground. Loser lays down on the cold dirt; winner puffs his chest on top.

In the current day of age, trendy “up” and “down” uses are a commonplace for athletes, journalists, and spectators as well.  Dave Nieuahas, a hall of fame broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners, would emphasize the “up” tremendously when calling home runs. “Up up up and away,” he proclaimed. This is seen from other sports figures as well, such as NFL coach Vince Lombardi’s famous quote,

“It’s not whether you get knocked down; its whether you get back up.” Up is good, and down is bad. 

Carry on.

The root of athletics lies with science, and the means to communicate sports stems from literature. These two disciplines intertwine to create the “up” fascination in athletics. In class, we delved into the directional metaphors that are subconsciously ingrained in our communication, and used across all disciplines.

Rise above.

Reach for the sky.

Top of his/her game.

These are examples of how common sports lingo develops from the directional metaphors associated with “up”. In class, we discussed how these positive connotations for “up” and negative connotations for “down” have a scientific, physical basis as well. Lakoff and Johnson noted this after every section in their piece. For instance, good health is associated with up because it puts less strain on your body to walk with tall posture and hold your head high.

"Up" transcends across multiple platforms. Thus, when one tries to discuss it simply with athletics, all paths lead back to the fascination in science and literature...