This is awesome. I regularly use this example in...

This is awesome. I regularly use this example in class. I’ll have to be sure to assign it this semester, when we talk about political economy. I wish they would also do the other side of my classroom analogy: European sports leagues. The irony is that “socialist” Europe has truly capitalist league structures (e.g. no salary caps, relegation, no draft) while “capitalist” Americans insist on their sports leagues being “fair” and “equal” (e.g. salary caps, no relegation, a draft where losers get a better shot at picking top players).

The downside, obviously, is that it’s partisan (so I’ll get slammed by right-leaning students). Besides, I don’t think Democrats are “socialists” any more than I believe Republicans are “capitalists.” The irony, as I tell my students, is that the US has two liberal parties. In fact, most people in Europe or Latin America seem confused as to what the big brouhaha is between these two parties, since they stand for nearly identical platforms (at least relative to party systems in countries that actually do have ultra-nationalist parties, communist parties, and everything in between).

From theatlanticvideo:

A Short Animation About the How the NFL Is Like Socialism
Fraser Davidson, a London-based animator, created this video inspired by Bill Maher’s comparison of the economics of pro football and baseball. He brings a two-minute excerpt from the audio version of Maher’s book, The New New Rules, to life with a blend of 1950s-style sports imagery and Soviet-era graphics.

So, Bill Maher won’t be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday?

(Also, a warning: NSFW language.)

theatlanticvideo