(November 18, 2014 at 10:10 am)simplemoss Wrote: I can't think of a more wasteful, pointless, and idiotic activity as sports. Billions of dollars spent every year. Money that could be spent to help the poor. Stadiums, leagues, and sports equipment corporations.

I always saw sports as a form of gambling, but they have transformed into the best job an inner city black kid can get. As a way for those who literally cannot read to get into college. For what? Is it so nations can compete and say proudly their nation is the best at skiing?

Why do you adore sports and competitiveness so much? Are you an athelete if so why? Why do you think its appropriate, too waste billions teaching kids how too play basketball?

It's just the world we live in. It's competitive and brutal, and if people pay money to watch it then obviously there's going to be quite a lot of money to back it up.
You could say any form of entertainment or art is a waste of money that people spend billions on.

(November 18, 2014 at 10:10 am)simplemoss Wrote: I can't think of a more wasteful, pointless, and idiotic activity as sports. ...

Amen!

My home city has never been known for its athletic accomplishments. We are famous for our support of the arts. Despite being a fairly small city, Louisville is well known across the country among both theater students and musicians. Our Orchestra and Theater enjoy a well-earned reputation for excellence. We also have strong ballet, opera and Broadway companies.

So does our city put more money into what we do so well? No, they wasted a ton of money building a stadium and trying to attract a professional basketball team.

If I shaped our culture, the arts would eclipse sports instead of the other way around.

I can just see it. A group of guys gathered around a television eating popcorn and cheering on their local orchestra, occasionally screaming at the screen what the conductor needs to do.

"C'mon, crescendo, man! CRESCENDO!"

At the final cadence, they're all giving high-fives to each other. Cut to scenes in the stadium audience of two shirtless attention-seeking fans with violins painted on their bodies. Suddenly, the music critic interrupts the celebration by throwing a flag onto the stage and announcing, "Inappropriate interpretation not intended by the composer, two stars only."

The outraged audience begins chanting, "Bull-shit, bull-shit, bull-shit"

The police need to escort the critic safely home.

(November 18, 2014 at 11:23 am)DeistPaladin Wrote:

(November 18, 2014 at 10:10 am)simplemoss Wrote: I can't think of a more wasteful, pointless, and idiotic activity as sports. ...

Amen!

My home city has never been known for its athletic accomplishments. We are famous for our support of the arts. Despite being a fairly small city, Louisville is well known across the country among both theater students and musicians. Our Orchestra and Theater enjoy a well-earned reputation for excellence. We also have strong ballet, opera and Broadway companies.

So does our city put more money into what we do so well? No, they wasted a ton of money building a stadium and trying to attract a professional basketball team.

If I shaped our culture, the arts would eclipse sports instead of the other way around.

I can just see it. A group of guys gathered around a television eating popcorn and cheering on their local orchestra, occasionally screaming at the screen what the conductor needs to do.

"C'mon, crescendo, man! CRESCENDO!"

At the final cadence, they're all giving high-fives to each other. Cut to scenes in the stadium audience of two shirtless attention-seeking fans with violins painted on their bodies. Suddenly, the music critic interrupts the celebration by throwing a flag onto the stage and announcing, "Inappropriate interpretation not intended by the composer, two stars only."

The outraged audience begins chanting, "Bull-shit, bull-shit, bull-shit"

The police need to escort the critic safely home.

Competitive musicianship actually angers me much more than competitive sports.
Usually because it's a popularity competition, it's subjective, and most popular music these days in my opinion has an extreme lack of genuine energy, speed and aggression.

Most sports and fitness competition is actually quite calming to me. A lot of times there's no popularity contest, unless one team is cheating there's a clear fair objective, which no one can really argue with.
But then again I'm pretty laid back, I don't even care if England win games of football, some people are so competitive about it they go crazy and violent if their favorite local team loses, even if their local team is local in name only, and is actually owned by an arab, who bought players from around the world.

I played American football in high school. One thing I can say about playing organized sports is that it's a good way to teach young, selfish pricks the value of working with others as a team.

I watch the sports I like (which are American football and racing airplanes, along with a little soccer now and then).

I don't watch what I don't like.

I'd recommend the OP put that heuristic into effect; he might find more peace of mind.

Team sports bore me to death, I can't see the point of watching a bunch of overpaid people kick a ball around a patch of grass for 90 minutes, or sit watching a game of bat-n-ball. What difference does it make to to me which side scores the most?
When I was younger (and fitter) I did a lot of winter mountain climbing (ice axe and crampons) and scuba diving, but... I did it, I didn't expect anyone to stand around watching me (except for the guy holding my safety rope!)
Yes I know I'm the odd one out, a male with no interest in sport... but I quite like being different!

Quote:How many inner city kids go on to compete internationally in skiing?

About as many as yachting.

Sports today provides the same outlet as the chariot races and gladiatorial games of the Romans. Bread and circuses. And since the upper 1% is desperately trying to eliminate the "bread" part they really like the circuses especially if they can make even more money on them.

I am in general agreement with the OP. Especially at colleges. If adults want to get their brains fried in the NFL that is their business. But, as has been noted, how many of these so-called "student" athletes make it to the pros? They just get CTE for nothing. They certainly do not get an education.

When Penn State got slammed because of the child rape scandal one of the punishments they got hit with was a loss of 20 "scholarships" in the football program ( out of 80!). I found myself wondering how many "scholarships" they gave out in the Physics Department? No where near that many, I'll wager!

I hate sports. In Libya, sports = football/soccer and sometimes basketball and volleyball. My mum didn't let me get me out of the house till the age of 15 (Cons: I'm a wimp. Pros: I'm smart and can speak English, I'm not a typical Libyan)

Butt he's a weird thing, I'm actually interested in hockey and rugby (everything that isn't association football)

I'm not so worried about the billions spent on it for tv rights and inflated salaries, that's just (virtual) paper changing hands, what I guess matters is the amount of labour (human or machine) that is put into it. I'm not sure if that's such a relevant damage to the economy as a whole. I.e. what alternative thing could have been done with that work force and how large a part of the economy is it.

I agree with the college sports thing, that has ridiculously gotten out of hand.

Generally, I couldn't care less about pro sports and wouldn't miss it if it were gone.

(November 18, 2014 at 12:04 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: I played American football in high school. One thing I can say about playing organized sports is that it's a good way to teach young, selfish pricks the value of working with others as a team.

I watch the sports I like (which are American football and racing airplanes, along with a little soccer now and then).

Holy shit, there is airplane racing on tv???

" I don't like this thing and other people spend money on it. Abolish it! "

(November 18, 2014 at 2:05 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: " I don't like this thing and other people spend money on it. Abolish it! "

I don't want to abolish it, just don't expect to be interested in it!