When I was younger, I was a 24/7 sports fanatic. I attended numerous pro, college and high school games of various sorts. On the weekends, I was parked in front of the TV with my dad watching whichever sport was in season and, in the summer, I fell asleep many a night listening to the play-by-play of a baseball game on the radio.
I collected sports cards, amassing over 18,000 before I was through. The vast majority were baseball cards, but I also had collections of football, basketball and hockey cards too. I memorized statistics and I was a virtual walking almanac on anything sports-related.
As I've aged, however, I'm not as into sports as I used to be. Yes, I still watch ESPN almost everyday, but I rarely watch the games or matches themselves anymore and I certainly don't attend any in person. One of the chief reasons I have backed away as an avid viewer of sports is the level of violence so many of them promote AND celebrate.
For example, growing up in Kansas City, MO, I often attended professional hockey games. I love hockey because it's sort of like soccer on ice skates. Unlike most of the other fans at the rink, I easily could do without the fights that seem to break out at every game. In fact, I know that many fans would go home sorely disappointed if they did NOT get to witness a fight!
NASCAR has become very popular in the US over the past generation or two. Not only do fans love the high speeds and, sometimes, reckless abandon of the drivers, but many flock to the tracks in the hopes of witnessing crashes. I don't know about you, but I see nothing to get excited about as a car goes smashing into a wall and disintegrates before our eyes.
And then there's football. It has always been a violent sport, but, in recent years, it seems to be getting worse and worse. Today's players are bigger, stronger and faster; the purposeful collisions are becoming train wrecks! More and more players are sustaining serious injuries and watching a game these days is like watching gladiators try to fend off lions.
The National Football League (NFL) slowly is starting to come to grips with the medical science that repeated blows to the head -- a ubiquitous act in the game of football -- ain't so safe.
What does it say about a society that glorifies war and violent sports? (I think you know the answer as well as I do.)
I collected sports cards, amassing over 18,000 before I was through. The vast majority were baseball cards, but I also had collections of football, basketball and hockey cards too. I memorized statistics and I was a virtual walking almanac on anything sports-related.
As I've aged, however, I'm not as into sports as I used to be. Yes, I still watch ESPN almost everyday, but I rarely watch the games or matches themselves anymore and I certainly don't attend any in person. One of the chief reasons I have backed away as an avid viewer of sports is the level of violence so many of them promote AND celebrate.
For example, growing up in Kansas City, MO, I often attended professional hockey games. I love hockey because it's sort of like soccer on ice skates. Unlike most of the other fans at the rink, I easily could do without the fights that seem to break out at every game. In fact, I know that many fans would go home sorely disappointed if they did NOT get to witness a fight!
NASCAR has become very popular in the US over the past generation or two. Not only do fans love the high speeds and, sometimes, reckless abandon of the drivers, but many flock to the tracks in the hopes of witnessing crashes. I don't know about you, but I see nothing to get excited about as a car goes smashing into a wall and disintegrates before our eyes.
And then there's football. It has always been a violent sport, but, in recent years, it seems to be getting worse and worse. Today's players are bigger, stronger and faster; the purposeful collisions are becoming train wrecks! More and more players are sustaining serious injuries and watching a game these days is like watching gladiators try to fend off lions.
The National Football League (NFL) slowly is starting to come to grips with the medical science that repeated blows to the head -- a ubiquitous act in the game of football -- ain't so safe.
In August, to much fanfare, NFL owners finally acknowledged that football-related concussions cause depression, dementia, memory loss and the early onset of Alzheimer's disease...The league has recently announced sanctions against players who use their head/helmet as a weapon and a lot of players AND fans are up in arms about it. Neither group seems too interested in losing their weekly dose of blood and carnage.
What does it say about a society that glorifies war and violent sports? (I think you know the answer as well as I do.)
i've never been a sports fan myself.
ReplyDeletemy favorite sports quote:
"American football has the 2 worst characteristics of American life -- violence and committee meetings" -- George Will (he's a baseball fan i believe)
--sgl