Thorstein Veblen on the cultural and economic significance of modern sports
采用演化制度主义视角，基于凡勃伦《有闲阶级论》解释美国体育的持久流行，认为体育保存了有闲阶级价值观和炫耀性浪费，并举例说明其当代适用性。
Abstract This paper adopts an evolutionary institutionalist approach to explain the persistent popularity of sports in the USA. Veblen’s writing in Theory of the Leisure Class suggests two cultural and economic functions of modern sports: as a mode of preservation of leisure class values and as a means of conspicuous waste. Our analysis emphasises the role of sports as an institution for the preservation of leisure class values in general, and what Veblen terms ‘predatory prowess’ in particular. We identify several contemporary examples of Veblenian cultural traits that explain the affinity for sports in America and illustrate the continued applicability of Veblen’s analysis. Finally, we offer support for the Veblenian view by expanding the scope of our argument to the broader evolutionary institutionalist literature.