Get rid of sports

[Exian]

That's spot on.

[simplemoss]

1 trillion dollars (with a t) per year is spent just on sports not too mention countless manhours spent volunteering to teach little Jimmy how to kick a feild goal. Instead of teaching science technology engineering and math? How much money is spent at your local school or college or stadium that could be better spent somehwere else?

[Ryantology]

I don't think we should get rid of sports. But, we should stop using taxpayer money to buy stadiums that billionaire owners don't feel like paying for, and sports scholarships are insanity (as is the farce of student athletes).

[SteelCurtain]

The reason taxpayer dollars go to the stadiums is that they bring massive amounts of revenue on game weekends (not just tax revenue, but small business revenue as well), and they also are used by the city to host events during the rest of the year. Remember, a football stadium also hosts concerts, art galas, trade shows, monster truck events, soccer games, college football bowls, charity events, etc. Believe it or not, these stadiums are a massive source of revenue for the city. People travel to these games/concerts/events and they spend their money when they travel. So the tax money is an investment, and sometimes more than that. Often these teams have to agree to stay in the city for decades. The Steelers' stadium cost $281 million, the city paid about $205 million of that. But it is owned by the city, not the Steelers, and the Pitt Panthers (NCAA) play there, along with the high schools as well---and the Steelers agreed to stay until 2031, or thirty years from when the stadium was built.

ETA: Sports and science education are not mutually exclusive. I am a prime example of that. I played football in elementary school all the way through college. I also got a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the #3 rated college in the nation at that time for that area of study. You can do both.

I feel like you probably got beat up by a football player in high school, simple, and that's just stuck with you. For the life of me, I cannot understand the hate. I cannot come up with a reason why someone would spend 12 hours a day playing WOW. When they could be spending that time doing anything productive. But I would never suggest that we outlaw video games. It's just nonsensical.

[Ravenshire]

Guy must look like Jabba the fuckin' Hutt.

Not sure that would be all bad. I seem to remember some hotties in Jabba's entourage.

[Exian]

And really, sports can be viewed as a way to appreciate the human form, as well as our evolutionary path. Just as much, if not more, as an artistic study. Throwing a football? A baseball? You don't see any other apes throwing anything at 100mph (a turd goes, what? 25mph tops?) Where else in this age can we see, and really appreciate the human limits being pushed that far?

Long distance running? That's a direct link to our past; to almost the exact moment that we gained an edge in this fight: sweating. Releasing heat while producing heat. The runningest species, they call us (this part may not be true)

I think studying and appreciating the human form, in action no less, is a worthwhile endeavor. There's plenty of benefits to it. You could probably come up with a long list yourself. Sports!

[Thumpalumpacus]

FAF, I was playing on the quote about religion being the opium of the people.

As Drama Queen commented, there are similarities to sports and religion.

There will be sports in Heaven along with other stuff people love to do.
It seems we were designed to overcome things and sports certainly fill the bill.

I gotta agree with you, Prof. My unwarranted passion for the Cleveland Browns, and my claim that "the Steelers suck", is about as close as I'll get to understanding a creationist making claims despite evidence to the contrary.

As a diehard Cowboys fan, even in the fucking Jerry Jones era, I hear you.

BTW, the words "Jerry Jones" should always be preceded by the word "fucking". Just so we have that straight.

---

Oh, and fuck a bunch of Steelers.

[Exian]

I gotta agree with you, Prof. My unwarranted passion for the Cleveland Browns, and my claim that "the Steelers suck", is about as close as I'll get to understanding a creationist making claims despite evidence to the contrary.

As a diehard Cowboys fan, even in the fucking Jerry Jones era, I hear you.

BTW, the words "Jerry Jones" should always be preceded by the word "fucking". Just so we have that straight.

---

Oh, and fuck a bunch of Steelers.

Hahaha Right? Yet, here we are with our strongly held beliefs that our teams are the best, and you'll never get any of us to admit otherwise. It's insane. The religious parallels are uncanny. And on Sunday, no less.

You mentioned the Steelers- I remember as a kid just absolutely hating them, and if you asked me why, I couldn't tell you. Just did. Nowadays, I'm leaning more towards jealousy. I know that's blasphemy, but god dammit, that organization is just a shining example of exellence. It used to be, as a kid, I hated the team, the colors, the fans, the players, but now it's just the oily machinery that has ran over most of my adult life Sundays. And yet, Steelers suck. Amen.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I won't say that those Steelers sucked. I will gladly profess my hatred for them; but the goddamned well earned it -- they were good.

[Exian]

They suck. I'm required to say it.