Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The State of Sport

In one word - Sad.
Barry Bonds about to break a home run record while under investigation for cheating with strength enhancing steroids. The hated hero. NFL Football's Michael Vick attending illegal disgusting dogfights. Tour-de-France contender Alexandre Vinokourov having blood transfusions between stages. Hockey coaches running gambling rings. NBA basketball referees betting on games they control. Multi-million dollar professional players arrested constantly for drugs, or weapons, violence and woman abuse. Irreverence for anyone but themselves. Oblivious to the law or common sense rules of behavior. Sounds like Hollywood starlets, doesn't it?
Sport?
Perhaps we need to differentiate 'sport' from entertainment? TV Wrestling makes no attempt to be sport. We all know it is theatre, nothing else. Maybe we should allow the Mark McGuires of sport to have their own realm, where anything goes. Take all the drugs you like, go as fast as you can, be the strongest in your world. Put those events on the Adult channels for the mentality that'll watch them. Like truck pull events but with freaky-humans. The kind that grisly guys burp and fart at while watching.
But Money runs the leagues. They SHOULD bar anyone from all games forever who does drugs. The money will still flow into the league coffers. Because there's always another player who IS clean. Return sport to being the best you can be without enhancements.
Sports that children can emulate. Like all those black kids who wanted to be Hank Aaron once. And the white kids who wanted to be Ted Williams.
What freaky kid wants to be Barry Bonds?

Bonds hit run No. 756 on Tuesday night, breaking the record Hank Aaron set in 1976 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Let the freak show begin.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:35 am

    He's no different than any corporate executive who sells you a dangerous product while telling you it is good for you. Baseball has officially crossed the line into being about money only. Kids no longer need to look to the big show for heroes.
    Oh where have you gone, Joe Dimaggio?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:59 pm

    The picture if perfect!

    ReplyDelete

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