The Sporting Life category archive

Listen to the words of a veteran Olympic athlete:

Now I understand my failure to connect to the pomp of the opening ceremonies, the confused emptiness that consumed me as I stood in the cold of a Turin winter, wrapped in the American flag, wincing under the cruel glare of a thousand flashbulbs. The real function of the Olympic athlete in the world of corporatized sports is clear to me now. Amateur status is mandatory for any Olympic hopeful, but athletic training at the elite level is a full-time job. Most nations get around the problem by giving their Olympic athletes significant government support, but our best athletes are almost entirely dependent on corporate sponsorship. For the athletes, the consequences of this addiction can be disastrous.

The socialization of my allegiance to Verizon began the moment I was selected—as an 11-year-old—for the US development team. The culture within the US Luge Association viewed brand loyalty as integral to the survival of the organization. All of my clothing was plastered with the Verizon logo. I was not allowed near any camera without giving a visual and verbal statement of thanks to Verizon for making all of my dreams come true. I went through intensive media training each year to reinforce this allegiance—to learn how to be a better spokesperson for Verizon.

Read the rest, then watch a Castle rerun.

Olympic-sized twits.

Via BartCop.

If you like watching large men court concussions by running into each other high speed for a machine that chews them and spits them out, enjoy.

Otherwise, do something useful, like a crossword puzzle or a game of Canfield.

Yes, I’m fed up with Big Football and the endless inane news wankery “coverage” of it all.

I’m done.

Afterthought:

Didn’t miss much, did I?

The home-team coaches thought they had found a creative way to fire up their team: spray paint.

The scandal began with the discovery of vandalism on Nov. 1, 2013, when orange and black spray paint — South Pittsburg’s school colors — was used to scribble vulgarities on Marion County’s field house. The colors were intended to make it look like South Pittsburg Pirates supporters were the culprits.

The vandalism consisted of spray-painted words on the side doors and along the back of the school’s field house and a storage building and a concrete parking lot. Trash was scattered around the field house and derogatory names aimed at Marion County coaches and players, as well as a large “P” — South Pittsburg’s logo — were painted on the buildings.

I am getting closer and closer to concluding that American football is broken at every level of play.

Even though I have not watched a football game on the telly vision all this season (and have realized that life is much more fun without watching large men on steroids run into each other), I can still take some satisfaction that the New England Patriots, a team quarterbacked by a jerk and coached by a bigger jerk, managed to lose a ball game.

I look forward to not watching the Stupor Bowl.

Via Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog.

Is there any reputedly “legitimate” endeavor (other than possibly Wall Street banking) more corrupt and venal than big-time college sports?

What’s the ratio between college basketball games on TV today and those worth watching?

Hmmmm. Games worth watching divided by games on TV today.

I can’t remember.

What happens when you divide into zero?

(Follow the link for his answer.)

Bertolt Brecht said

Great sport begins at a point where it has ceased to be healthy.

Perhaps he was talking about big-time football:

A Michigan native who has lived in Philadelphia for two years says he was harassed and beaten unconscious by a group of Eagles fans outside Lincoln Financial Field after the Eagles’ 34-20 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Follow the link. The story has, as the folks who want to appear street-wise say, “cred.”

And don’t blame this on Philadelphia. It happens all over. If you must blame anyone, blame the hypesters.

This is big-time sports, the circuses (of the famous “bread and circuses,” but without the bread) for the 99%.

The corruption of big-time football infects everything it touches.

John Affleck searches for something worthwhile in the year in sports and concludes that that, with luck, it might be the realization that “words matter.”

He cites several cases of coaches and players getting into trouble over how they treat others, even though abusive behavior has long been considered routine in sports world. A nugget:

What these examples show is that U.S. sports culture hasn’t caught up to contemporary standards of language and behavior. And the defense that sports is somehow different because you have to be tough and resilient to participate in sports hasn’t gained much traction. Why? Because every working adult in this country has to be tough and resilient to do a good job, even to keep one. Sports is not unique, and shouldn’t get a pass on bad behavior.

Consider this: You’re at your workplace and the boss comes in completely unhinged — frothing, cursing, pounding the desk and disparaging your sexual orientation or gender or race. Is that little tirade going to make you more or less loyal to him or her? Is it going to help you succeed? Is it any more OK if your workplace is a baseball diamond than if it is a discount department store?

At Psychology Today Blogs, Matt Beardmore tries to understand why sports fans get violent. A nugget:

. . . on Opening Day 2011 before a game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. Giants fan Bryan Stow was savagely beaten and suffered brain trauma during an attack by Dodgers fans and just returned home a few months ago.

“Fan violence is really an adult form of bullying,” said Kathy Samoun, who was so moved by the Stow incident – and many others involving fan violence – that she founded the Bay Area-based Fans Against Violence non-profit organization, which “encourages fan safety at professional sporting events through education, discussion and partnerships with like-minded organizations.”

Bob Molinaro yearns for simpler days:

Should I go ahead and cast a Heisman vote for Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston if by Dec. 9, the final day of balloting, we’re still waiting to learn whether Winston will be charged with sexual assault? And if I don’t vote for him before we know anything more, am I presuming his guilt? I liked it better when Heisman selections could be based on stats, TV highlights and Brent Musburger’s gosh-darn hyperbole.

The culture of big-time football, that is, the players, the coaches, the conferences, the leagues, the universities, the owners, the whole ball of wax, but especially the fans who enable and tolerate it.

Another proposal for a sports palace in Virginia Beach has surfaced.

This one claims that, even in the absence of a big league franchise of some sort, the deal would be a money maker and would cost less than the last deal that the local Developer Party tried to sneak through city council.

Lawson declined to provide financing details about the proposed public-private partnership that would be used to build it. He said that information will come out later. He did say in an email it would be “substantially” cheaper.

The previous deal called for the city to put in $241 million, the state $150 million and a private company $35 million. That money included $80 million to be paid to the Kings for relocation. The city and its Economic Development Department spent about $1.2 million on the previous arena plan.

As far as I can see–and the experience of many cities supports this–when developers want the government to pay for their projects, it’s a good sign that the project will not be a money-maker. Rather, the government will end up holding the bag, stranded on base, and saddled with debt for a building that stands empty most of the time.

Support a sports palace on the grounds of civic pride or public service and you may have a legitimate argument–but profit and economic development? That’s a con and a scam.

Addendum, Later That Same Day:

Via PoliticalProf, here’s a for instance.

The NCAA is not only corrupt, willing to sacrifice virtue, fair play, and players to ratings and revenue, it’s also stupid.

Frankly, I’ve always found “cornhole” to be an unfortunate name for a party game.

Now comes the American Cornhole Association.

Daniel Ruth reviews Greg Easterbrook’s The King of Sports: Football’s Impact on America.

Just read the review–you don’t even need to read the book–to join me in my disgust at big-time football.