Blood of the Beast, Lazarus, Come Forth Summary and Analysis

Cleaver talks about the need for spectator sports - from boxing to Little League. However, he says those sports have become "pagan rituals." According to Cleaver, people deny their true need for sports - a desire for the sight of blood. While it's arguable that those interested in Little League aren't there with the hope of seeing a child actually bleed, Cleaver is likely talking about the human need to see one triumph over another. He says the lengths people will go to in order to conceal and deny this need is matched by only one thing - the "Victorian hysteria" regarding sex. The support of those sporting events can be traced back to the Roman gladiators when crowds gathered to watch hapless victims being devoured by lions.

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