The Balinese Cockfight is an interesting social and cultural event that has many undertones. Of the theories set forth by Kendell Blanchard, Cultural Materialism is perhaps, the most relevant theory and offers the best explanation of the Balinese Cockfight. Cultural Materialism was introduced by Marvin Harris (Blanchard 70), and proposes that human beings are first and foremost concerned with ".the basic problems of surviving, getting something to eat, having water, keeping warm, and satisfying the other biological needs." Cultural Materialism is comprised of three phenomena; Technoeconimic, sociopolitical, and ideological components. The Balinese Cockfight contains all three of these phenomena as does the great sport of hockey. .
According to Cultural Materialism, sport is to be understood with reference to the technology and economy of the system in which it occurs. The Balinese Cockfight fits the economic surroundings of Bali and Indonesia, as well as the technology. With a population of over three million people on Bali alone, it is slowly developing. Most of the jobs are either in the hotel and tourist industry, the textile and garment industry, and in many small scale and home industries producing handicrafts and souvenirs. As long as Bali's economy relies heavily on tourism, there will always be a large fluctuation in the economy as well as the sophistication of that economy. The Cockfight is simple and inexpensive, this is why it fits into the Balinese culture very well. .
The sociopolitical component of the Balinese Cockfight is less obvious. In the cockfight you have several different groups or classes of people involved in the fight. The most inner circle of men are the wealthier, more powerful men and their "entourage", if you will. These men are usually the owners of the cocks that are fighting as well. These wealthier individuals are more concerned with their social status than winning money on the cock fights.
