Is it time for debate as a spectator sport?

When I was in college, I attended debates.  College was a lot easier than I thought it would be (thanks to the excellent high school I attended - Marist High School, Chicago), and that gave me plenty of time in the evenings to do what you’re supposed to do in college - experiment and explore your options.  A lot of students partied and spent most nights drunk; I decided to attend debates and join a service fraternity (Alpha Phi Omega).

Given the current situation in the country - the various social issues, and related conversations, along with a social need for competition as entertainment during the ongoing dearth of athletic competitions, maybe it’s a good time to consider debate as a form of spectator sport.  The idea came to me after watching two short videos posted on Youtube, which depict two men passionately expressing themselves about wearing face masks:

Michael Rapaport attempting to persuade people to wear masks (warning - this man drops quite a few F-bombs along the way. If you're sensitive to cursing, you might not want to watch, or perhaps play it with mute on, just so you can get a sense of his passion about the issue)

A man in a Florida Costco defending his right to not wear a mask (warning - this man behaves very aggressively, although his f-bombs are bleeped out)

I for one would like to see the two of them square off in a formal debate, perhaps after they’ve calmed down a bit.  Often, people are misunderstood, and need some time to process their feelings into coherent logical arguments.  Perhaps these two would even come to a common agreement by the end of their debate.

I really can’t identify any downside to conducting highly visible public debates on topics of common interest and importance to our society .  All I see are benefits:  Hearing the best persuasive arguments from both sides, learning information about topics that wouldn’t likely happen otherwise, hearing different points of view, and if it was done right, educating people about good reasoning, flawed reasoning, valid information, and misinformation.

Just like the popular television shows, America’s Got Talent or American Idol, these could be live view events, with spectator voting.  There could be professional judges who also contribute to determining winners.  There could also be penalties imposed for use of logical fallacies (except during “no holds barred” debates).  There could even be commentators who provide pre- and post-match analysis, with highlights of key points, and explanations of penalties, with appropriate dramatic sound effects.  Viewers could even be incentivized with points/prizes to call out misinformation or logical fallacies.  At the end, viewers could be polled to determine if anyone changed their position after watching the debate.  All of it sounds like great fun to me.

I doubt there would be a shortage of topics.  For the first season, there could be debates on

• The use of face masks during a pandemic

• Black Lives Matter

• Illegal immigration and building a border wall

• Vaccinations and public health

• Voter rights - voting by mail or voter IDs

What do you think?  Would you watch?  What other topics can you suggest?  Who do you think would be a good host?