Changing sports habits

The four-month old professional basketball lockout presents an opportunity for fans to reconsider how they spend their upcoming winter months.  Just for the cost of a couple of mid priced tickets to a game a person could pay for a month’s membership in a health club, a pair of running shoes or a sweat suit.  For a half of a seasons worth of tickets one might even purchase a nice set of downhill or cross-country skis, boots and poles. How much more valuable it is for one’s mental and physical health to exercise rather than watch others slam-dunk basketballs on television.

Death of Harmon Killebrew and old time baseball

The passing of baseball great Harmon Killebrew yesterday reminded me of how drastically the sport of baseball has changed since the 1960s. An article, "So long, Killer" in the Star Tribune notes some of these changes..

• In 1959, back when Harmon was leading the league in home runs, he made $9,000 a year. Today million dollar salaries are commonplace, with the Minnesota Twins player Joe Mauer, (currently injured) in an 8 year salary contract worth $184 million.  
• Game tickets were affordable for families of modest means. Baseball used to have special "knot hole" games, where one paying adult could bring in a station wagon full of kids for free. Now to purchase one ticket in the farthest back seat in the outfield at the Target Center costs $29.  A hot dog and coke would set one back another $12.  There are no more knot hole days.
• Games were aired over local television and radio waves. Today to watch baseball on television in the Twin Cities one has to purchase an expensive cable package.
• The Twins team used to play in a modest Met stadium.  Now they play in a publicly subsidized state of the art Target Field.
• Like Harmon Killebrew, players used to stay with one team for most or all of their careers.  Now it is difficult to keep track of players, given how often they move from team to team.
• Players in Killebrew's day were drug free.  Over the years the pressures to win, along with advances in pharmaceuticals, have caused many baseball greats to utilize drugs/blood doping to gain an advantage.

It seems, as with so many things in this affluent country, we've taken sports to the extreme.  And, I dare say that in doing so professional baseball is going to kill itself.  While the rules of baseball have stayed the same, the sport has become big business, and by becoming such has lost its allure for many, including this guy.  RIP Harmon Killebrew!

Professional sports fan no more

As much as I love watching sports I’m now ready to quit being a fan of professional sports.  Let me count the reasons why:

1. Millions of our nation’s youth are more concerned about their sporting advancement than their education or other career possibilities.  They have aspirations of becoming millionaire athletes like those they see on television. Parents who can afford it are often more than happy to oblige them, starting them off in organized sports almost as soon as they’re able to walk or hold a ball.
2. Professional sports often take a tremendous physical toll on athletes. For example, many football players have received multiple concussions.  Too many end up crippled or hobbled for life.
3. Many athletes exit college early to take advantage of tremendous earning potential as a professional athlete.  Often they are ill equipped for life after sports.
4.  Instead of actively playing sports too many Americans have become passive spectators.  We’ve got a huge obesity problem that isn’t helped by sitting down for hours at a time watching the tube, drinking beer and snacking on chips and dip.
5. Too many athletes have become prima donnas; thanks in large part to the coddling and hero worship provided them throughout school years, and which then follows them into professional athletics. 
6. Most athletes have very little long-term loyalty to their teams.  Few players now stick with a team throughout their careers.
7. Our nation no longer has the affluence it once did to spend so extravagantly on professional sports and their luxurious venues.  It is simply wrong to be allocating taxpayer dollars on stadiums when we can’t even afford to fix potholes in the streets.  
8. Given their special treatment, many athletes often become poor role models for our children.  We’ve seen scores of examples of this in the news. I shudder to consider all that doesn’t make the news.
9. Sports have simply become “big business” with athletes seeking advantages to make the final cut and negotiate a big salary.  Too often drug doping results.
10.  Professional sports cater to the wealthy.  Given the cost of parking, refreshments and game tickets in order for a family of four to attend a hockey, baseball or football game they might need to take out a second mortgage on their home.  New stadiums are built with primary consideration given to the luxury suites. And, oh, by the way, now most games are no longer available to the common folk on broadcast television or even basic cable.

Professional sports lunacy

Full moon

Moon by cherry tree

I read in this morning's paper that the Minnesota Twins will have a challenge to retain some of their key players within what might be the confines of a $125 million dollar budget for salaries.  How is it that professional sports have become so costly?

Pure sport? Unlikely to see it on ESPN. There seems to be an inverse relationship between the amount of press sports get and the purity of the sport. I was hoping to see the results from last Saturday's NCAA Division III National Cross Country meet in Sunday's StarTribune. Seems they didn't have room. Yet, the paper added a separate section on the 100th game being played later in the day between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings football teams. How pathetic that game turned out to be... 

A couple of weeks ago the state cyclocross meet was held with some amazing athletes competing in extreme conditions. Not one word of coverage was provided by the newspaper.  The last article in the StarTribune on cyclocross was three years ago. I've discovered that Ultimate, another wonderful, fast growing sport also receives sportsana non grata status with the media.

Moon with tree silhouettes

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to cheer for sports that have become big businesses, owned by a millionaires, being played by athletes making millions AND who demand publicly funded sports cathedrals, er, ah... stadiums.  Even the Olympics, once only for amateurs, has gone professional.  It has been sad to watch the drug doping that has become increasingly common at this spectacular international event.

Pure sport is about the athleticism, discipline, game smarts, strength and often teamwork. The motivation is simply to do ones best, improving if possible and hopefully winning the game/match/meet/race.  Sadly there are many parents pushing their kids from a very early age into sports, hoping that they might win a college scholarship.  Even more tragic are the millions of youth from disadvantaged environments that dream of becoming athletic superstars, often at the expense of study.

Want to watch a sport where it isn't about the business?  Seems best to watch any sport that doesn't get coverage by the newspaper or television stations.  Better yet, don't watch at all, play!