How Seriously Should We Take Sports?
While teaching this class, I've begun to look at the role of sports in my life and in those around me. I grew up in a sports loving house. Years ago my cousin prasied my mom as "the only woman he'd ever met who could truly talk sports." To this day any time I talk to my parents, they are invaribly watching some sporting event in the background.
In my own house now, my five year old son's first question in the morning is, "Did the Rockies win?" He knows all the MLB and NFL teams, most of the NBA, many PGA players and a surprising number of college teams. He even knows how to read the little graphic in the corner of a baseball game. Nicholas talked sports with a friend of my the other day on the phone. When I got the phone back, my friend asked jokingly, "Do you ever wonder if you created a monster?"
I hadn't thought about it much. We just watch sports--that's what we do. We play them a lot too. Nicholas is always game for batting practice, catch, football or shooting baskets. Have I created a monster? Did my parents? Does our society put too much emphasis on sports?
For the last twenty years, I've followed the CU football team, gone to most of the games and gone through the all ups and downs--from road trips to Miami and the national championship to the long drive back from Lincoln after a hard loss in '94. But now the Buffs have hit some new lows--scandals, firings, coaching changes and a currently painful six game losing streak.
My wife Kara and I went to Denver yesterday for the "Rocky Mountain Showdown" between CU and CSU. The talk leading up to the game--my friends around the country email Buff talk--and my friends various reactions agian got me to thinking about how seriously sports should factor into our lives.
I suppose sports should never have any negative effect on a day. Too often my favorite teams lose or a player falls short--not surprisingly, that's the nature of sports. Many people at Buff games--the only sporting events I reguarly watch in person--seem to pay $40 to complain and be miserable. Where's the fun in that? I'm planning on staying a fan and enjoying the games even if they (we?) go 0-12.
In my own house now, my five year old son's first question in the morning is, "Did the Rockies win?" He knows all the MLB and NFL teams, most of the NBA, many PGA players and a surprising number of college teams. He even knows how to read the little graphic in the corner of a baseball game. Nicholas talked sports with a friend of my the other day on the phone. When I got the phone back, my friend asked jokingly, "Do you ever wonder if you created a monster?"
I hadn't thought about it much. We just watch sports--that's what we do. We play them a lot too. Nicholas is always game for batting practice, catch, football or shooting baskets. Have I created a monster? Did my parents? Does our society put too much emphasis on sports?
For the last twenty years, I've followed the CU football team, gone to most of the games and gone through the all ups and downs--from road trips to Miami and the national championship to the long drive back from Lincoln after a hard loss in '94. But now the Buffs have hit some new lows--scandals, firings, coaching changes and a currently painful six game losing streak.
My wife Kara and I went to Denver yesterday for the "Rocky Mountain Showdown" between CU and CSU. The talk leading up to the game--my friends around the country email Buff talk--and my friends various reactions agian got me to thinking about how seriously sports should factor into our lives.
I suppose sports should never have any negative effect on a day. Too often my favorite teams lose or a player falls short--not surprisingly, that's the nature of sports. Many people at Buff games--the only sporting events I reguarly watch in person--seem to pay $40 to complain and be miserable. Where's the fun in that? I'm planning on staying a fan and enjoying the games even if they (we?) go 0-12.
posted by pfouts at 8:48 AM
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