The community that I was introduced to this year and will be writing about is the Cornell Varsity Football team. This community is a group of 110 players ranging from freshman to 5th year seniors that share the same belief of “PRIDE-UNITY-TOUGHNESS-COMMITMENT” with the goal of winning the Ivy League Championship. This football program is considered to be a Gemeinshaft.
The football team demonstrates that its community like characteristics can be classified into the group of utopic Gemeinschaft. If we were to loose a game in overtime or because of one play, we don’t rag on that person who made the mistake but we pick him up and become closer as a team. Since we spend so much time together our interpersonal ties are very strong. We all share the same focus and common purpose of being on the team together which strengthens our relationship. Our skills and ability are considered to be our common language and identity because the way we play speaks for our self and how we play gives us our own identity of a player.
The football team is influenced by CMC, however FTF has a bigger role in this community. Since we are with each other for at least 3-4 hours a day our FTF interactions play a bigger role then CMC. CMC is used more though to talk when we are not together, leave comments about what happened today, and even plan out what is going on tomorrow.
3 comments:
Interesting post. I never knew the Cornell football team had a creed in a matter of speaking. The picture you posted up definitely emphasizes the sense of common ground and unity.
An interesting aspect of your network that I would love to know more about is the interactions between members of the team. What type of communication and ties are formed within the members of the team, such as between freshmen and seniors. Is there an inner grouping between distinct ties?
I think it's great that CMC can facilitate connection between members even when you guys are apart. It definitely helps solidify unity and comradery.
I liked how you used the football team to describe a community. Its also nice that CMC allows you guys to communicate but does not take anything away from your FTF communciation or relationships. This was interesting to me because in my assignment, the community I used also had face to face as well at CMC communication, but while I was analyzing I realized how much the CMC takes away from the bonding we could make FTF. I realized that weak bonds were forming instead of strong ones. How would you describe the bonds you have made with your teammates, weak or strong?
I also liked that you used the picture of the whole team to start off your post. The uniformity among your appearance immediately invoked, in me, a sense that you are all members of a common community, with similar behaviors and priorities.
You mention that your face to face interactions play a much more important role in your community than do CMC interactions. I can relate to this sense as a member of an athletic team here at Cornell, I have found that to be the case. I wonder though, what proportion of your face to face interactions are verbal vs. physical. In my experience, I have found that part of what makes team members so close is the physical nature of their interactions, and I wonder if you agree with this opinion. And if so, how do you think the removal of the physicallity of your interactions will affect your relationships? Do you think the same close interpersonal relationships will be maintainted through CMC at that point?
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