Volume 7, Issue 4 – Benton
There are currently 32 NFL stadiums and around 130 D-1 collegiate football stadiums with an average seating capacity of 70,000. For the die-hard football fan, nothing beats watching a football game live, along with thousands of other likeminded fans. You get caught up in the excitement of cheering for your team. You sometimes even get the feeling that the outcome of the game is in your hands, as both teams battle on the field.
If this modern day form of entertainment provokes this much excitement, just image what it must have been like to be in Rome in 80 A.D. experiencing an event at The Colosseum. As the largest amphitheatre in the world, accommodating 87,000 spectators, The Colosseum was used for all sorts of public spectacles, including mock sea battles, animal hunts, dramatizations, and my personal favorite, gladiatorial contests.
Earlier this summer, I was blessed to visit Rome, Italy on vacation. With my favorite movie of all-time being The Gladiator, I stood in awe outside this architectural marvel, envisioning Marcus Aurelius fighting for his life. Gladiators were expected to fight to the death, or at least demonstrate that they were willing to die. Gladiators who acknowledged defeat could request the fight to be stopped and let the crowd’s response determine whether they lived or died. This is believed to be where the common gesture of “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” was first used to indicate approval or disapproval.
The best modern day comparison of this ancient day gladiator contest is a football battle on the gridiron. The final consequence might not be as serious as death, but you would never know it, given the all-out effort displayed by each team. You are invited to witness an excellent example of this in the upcoming, monumental, rivalry battle between the Benton Panthers and Bryant Hornets at the 15th Annual Salt Bowl. This game promises to bring with it all the excitement that Marcus Aurelius spoke of when he asked, “Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?”
Whether by the Roman crowds of 80 A.D. or the current Saline County sports fans of today, I’m sure that both teams would receive a unanimous “thumbs up”, for what never fails to be one the hardest fought games of the year. We are happy to get you fired up for this special game with the Saline County Lifestyles – 7th Annual Salt Bowl Special Edition. Your town. Your life. Your magazine.
See the Bryant Hornet side of this issue.
Click on the cover to see the virtual edition.
