Professional Sports - Go Red Sox, go Red Sox go!

[I Will Deny You]

What does everyone think of professional sports? I grew up as a Red Sox and Patriots fan, but I was never really into it. On the one hand, it speaks volumes about our society that the man with a beer helmet who is cheering for a football player who is paid millions to run into people will buy cheesehead hats for his children. Professional athletes work less than almost everyone, and aside from all of the other incredible perks they are paid millions upon millions. The commercialism is also disgusting. And lots of these guys are horrible role models. Shouldn't we spend our time on something more important?

On the other hand, watching a baseball or football game (sorry, I never really cared aout basketball) is inexlicably but undeniably fun. It makes lots of people happy, and it inspires lots of kids to go out and get exercise instead of sitting around watching the Olsen twins on the Disney Channel.

[James]

AHHHHHH, its the same in Britain. Except football seems to take the front seat. You wouldn't belive how much is payed to some of the idiots out there, to run around a pitch, score some goals, take some dives, get in the public eye and break the law...its madness, madness i tells ya!!!

[James]

Oh by the way, in american ((((football=soccer))))

[Zippy]

We also have racist thugs has our footballers; its enough to make you proud to be English.

Zippy.

[MJM]

I'm a rugby union fan and it's only gone pro within the last 7 years. I prefer the amatuer days. But corporate greed almost killed off rugby league a few years back so I think they had to go pro or else they would've been next.

[sabre]

I absolutely despise sports.

3rd, 4th, 5th grade : Little League baseball, which i sucked at, and instead of helping me improve my skills the coach jsut sat me on the bench. A very traumatic experiance. I also kicked the coach's son's ass (who was also on the team) cuz he stole some sunflower seeds so i think the coach had it against me

6th- 8th grade : Fencing -

The only sport i have ever liked and probably ever will, i was very good at it , but quit because i had to drive an hour to get to practice, cuz the fencing program here is a joke. I can only stand 1v1 sports, i hate team sports because i dont want losing or winning to be anyone elses responsibility than mine.

8th grade = wrestling

YUCK. Rolling around on padded floors caked with filth, diseases and various other bodily fluids. You would stick to the mat because of so much sweat. I dropped down to 83 pounds (this was last year now i weigh 110) so i could wresle 80-84 weight class
i won 2/3 matches i was in, and got the team a victory all buyt 1 time because the other team had no kids that were as skinny as me! so i was appriciated by the team. I developed Neck Spasms and had to drop the team 2 weeks before the end of the season, so all the wrestlers now hate me dispite a doctors note saying it was in my best interest not to wrestle...


I dont watch sports, never did, and dont intend to. They provide an anti-cultural idea of violence and opposition. The athletes are also overpayed. It would cost 6 billion to provide basic education for all of the world for one year. If every player cut their salary by half we could educate the whole world for a long long time

okay thats enough ranting

[Fires of History]

Sports are a great way to recreate, get/stay in shape, physically work out stress, and have fun with your friends.

The problem with professional sports is that its millions of people watching other people do something beneficial like that. Not to mention supporting the corporate world in a major way.

It's when people only watch, and never participate, that it becomes a little pathetic...and yet another timely commentary on our society.

People Over Profits,
Trance

P.S. I love watching football (soccer) but I make sure to go out and play myself quite a bit. Maybe I'm just trying to say that I wish there was more of a balance nowadays, because more people need to be getting out and about.

[guerrillaradio]

I follow footy (or sawwwwwker in the US), but not excessively. The commercialism and greed is disgusting, but I guess pro sports are the only way in which kids can be persuaded to exercise. I quit footy years ago cos I have exercised-induced asthma, and I'm just plain lazy.

What worries me though is the amount of kids in the UK you see kicking a £40 ball around a housing estate. They have a £50 England/Man U shirt and £70 Nike trainers but in all likelihood their parent (note singular) cannot afford to stop them being hungry. Naomi Klein wrote about this in No Logo. In many communities, people value big brand clothes and and sports gear over food, healthcare, other necessities, and that worries me.

[TheDerminator]

Seems to me, that professional sports have bred the consummate athelete, but in some sports this has been to the detriment of the skill factor.

I mean take world soccer for example.

The footballers are much better atheletes, but the standad of world football has dropped and this is reflected in both international and national levels.

There are only a handful of really outstanding teams. France and Argentina must be the red hot favourites to win the world cup, and in the European Champions League, the same teams look like dominating for the forseeable future.

The dead give away is the state of the Italian League.

Undoubtedly it provides some of the most skillful football in Europe, but the Clubs have not faired well in the Champions League for several years.

That is indicative of the general downturn in the level of skills possessed by the majority of players in every league. The consummate professional atheletes have taken over, and it is a bit boring to watch.

Resistance is Futile!

derminated

[ComradeFubar]

Sport is good..well da local grasroots level is.. like da local footy,soccer( a proletarian sport),criket( a bourgioue now turned proletarin sport here in australia..:) ) clubs and such..but its the proffesional leagues dat are corupted....all da wealth dat good go to beter things