Professsional Athletes
09-27-2005, 02:47 AM
#1
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Professsional Athletes
Maybe I'm in a bad mood because it's 3:20 am and I can't sleep so I'm on S2KI. Anyway, I was reading the Vintage forum when I saw the Major League Baseball subject. So it started me thinking - I haven't paid any attention to football, baseball, or basketball in what feels like at least 15 or 20 years (except when the Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001).
I was a huge football fan when growing up in Texas. The Dallas Cowboys were my whole reason for living during the fall then. My week was defined by whether the Cowboys won or lost the previous Sunday.
Then when I went to college and saw the special treatment the athletes received (primarily football players), my attitude about sports began to change to the point where now I consider most professional athletes in the stick/ball sports to be steroid taking megalomaniacs with bad attitudes and no work ethic. So I just lost interest in watching.
I'm tired of reading about steroid scandals, while the league turns an almost blind eye to its effect on youth. I'm tired of reading about athletes beating their wives, or getting caught with drugs and getting off because they're athletes. I'm tired of hearing about athletes holding out on a contract or going on strike because they don't make enough money when they are making millions of dollars every year. I'm tired of seeing athletes get away with being thugs both on and off the court/field.
I know it's bad timing with the World Series not far away and the NFL season in full swing, but I felt a rant coming on and just had to let it out.
I was a huge football fan when growing up in Texas. The Dallas Cowboys were my whole reason for living during the fall then. My week was defined by whether the Cowboys won or lost the previous Sunday.
Then when I went to college and saw the special treatment the athletes received (primarily football players), my attitude about sports began to change to the point where now I consider most professional athletes in the stick/ball sports to be steroid taking megalomaniacs with bad attitudes and no work ethic. So I just lost interest in watching.
I'm tired of reading about steroid scandals, while the league turns an almost blind eye to its effect on youth. I'm tired of reading about athletes beating their wives, or getting caught with drugs and getting off because they're athletes. I'm tired of hearing about athletes holding out on a contract or going on strike because they don't make enough money when they are making millions of dollars every year. I'm tired of seeing athletes get away with being thugs both on and off the court/field.
I know it's bad timing with the World Series not far away and the NFL season in full swing, but I felt a rant coming on and just had to let it out.
09-27-2005, 03:01 AM
#2
^^ You have some valid points. I've come to a point in my life where I make the choices to either enjoy watching a football game or a baseball game. I am not a fanatical fan and I don't live or die with a win or loss of the team I find myself rooting for. I am not glued to television and I pay attention to the games of my choosing and could care less if a team won or lost. I suppose I am not a "die hard" fan of any particular team with all the trimmings but I enjoy when I have nothing better to do. I don't work around my schedule to watch the games. I rarely go see the games in person unless I buy the $8.00 ticket for a baseball game. Spot checks on radio or internet works for me. I could care less if hockey season is shot or the baseball goes down the tube. It is only an entertainment for me.
09-27-2005, 04:12 AM
#3
Well, we certainly have baseball controversy here in Washington over not having an owner for the team yet, and people whose land is being seized for the new stadium filing suit over not getting enough for their property. It's definitely alot about money. But I still enjoy watching and rooting for the Nats and the Redskins.
I do think the media loves to tear down rather than build up...bad news sells more papers than good. So, although I'm disturbed about all the scandals, I try to put it in perspective.
I do think the media loves to tear down rather than build up...bad news sells more papers than good. So, although I'm disturbed about all the scandals, I try to put it in perspective.
09-27-2005, 04:54 PM
#4
My .02
I grew up as a Mets fan in NYC and use to go to Shea stadium with either my father or uncle as a kid.
At about the age of twelve I became interested in Motorsports and have never looked back to the world of ball sports.
IMO most professional ball sports stars are over paid "prima donna's". I totally turned my back on them when they started to charge for their autographs
IMO I think that this helps explain the popularity of NASCAR racing. The drivers still take the time to sign autographs for fans. It is rare that you hear of any scandals.
And most importantly: If they make a mistake they can die. Unlike, a pro basketball player that misses a free throw.
I grew up as a Mets fan in NYC and use to go to Shea stadium with either my father or uncle as a kid.
At about the age of twelve I became interested in Motorsports and have never looked back to the world of ball sports.
IMO most professional ball sports stars are over paid "prima donna's". I totally turned my back on them when they started to charge for their autographs
IMO I think that this helps explain the popularity of NASCAR racing. The drivers still take the time to sign autographs for fans. It is rare that you hear of any scandals.
And most importantly: If they make a mistake they can die. Unlike, a pro basketball player that misses a free throw.
09-27-2005, 05:09 PM
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I was a rabid baseball/Dodgers fan growing up. I'd have blown a gasket if I had access to all the games broadcast now. Instead I had a radio with bad reception and the golden voice of Vin Scully. Dodger games were only on TV when they played the Giants at Candlestick.
Ya know what, the athletes back then were not the best of role models either.
The only sport I give two hoots about these days is MotoGP motorcycle racing, those guys are putting it on the line.
Ya know what, the athletes back then were not the best of role models either.
The only sport I give two hoots about these days is MotoGP motorcycle racing, those guys are putting it on the line.
09-27-2005, 05:14 PM
#6
Originally Posted by Smokee,Sep 27 2005, 09:09 PM
I was a rabid baseball/Dodgers fan growing up. I'd have blown a gasket if I had access to all the games broadcast now. Instead I had a radio with bad reception and the golden voice of Vin Scully. Dodger games were only on TV when they played the Giants at Candlestick.
Ya know what, the athletes back then were not the best of role models either.
The only sport I give two hoots about these days is MotoGP motorcycle racing, those guys are putting it on the line.
Ya know what, the athletes back then were not the best of role models either.
The only sport I give two hoots about these days is MotoGP motorcycle racing, those guys are putting it on the line.
For Rossi. He is in the same class as Michael Schmacher. He is NOT HUMAN.
09-27-2005, 07:25 PM
#7
In the 1940s and 1950s the Brooklyn Dodgers were the heart and soul of Brooklyn. Brooklyn was a working class town, and the Dodgers personified the borough. The boys of summer were the heros and Brooklyn lived and died with them.
Everyone I knew was a Dodger fan. We hated the dastardly Yankees because they always beat our Dodgers in the World Series. But, there was always next year, wait till next year.
I was 7 in 1957 when the O'Mally family moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. I was 8 when Brooklyn's shrine to baseball, Ebbets Field, was torn down to build a housing project. I remember how heartbroken all of the people of Brooklyn were. In 1959 we moved from Queens to Brooklyn, and I still remember the oldtimers cursing the O'Malleys. Many, myself included, think that the beginning of the decline of Brooklyn happened when the Dodgers left town.
I mention all of this because that was my first exposure to sport, specifically baseball, as a business. O'Malley deserted Brooklyn for the money, plain and simple, he wanted more. Brooklyn supported the team, but he wanted more.
I followed baseball as a teenager and into my twenties, I was a Met fan, but I never forgot what O'Malley did and that he did it for the all mighty dollar.
I've never been too surprised by the greed of the players, their managers or the team owners. As salaries have gone through the roof followed by ticket prices and players charging for autographs, I've always thought back to the Brooklyn Dodgers. You'd expect the players to be greedy, the owners showed them the way.
Are the players worth the money? They get it so I guess someone thinks they are. I'm not so sure. The fans pay for everything and yet the fans seem to get the least consideration. Try to get a ticket to Yankee Stadium. You pay a tremendous amount of money to sit closer to the passing airplanes than to the players. An afternoon of baseball for a family of 4 is a $200 affair. And the seats are awful and the hot dogs are worse. And, you're lucky to be able to get the tickets.
It's not much better at Shea. The players are primadonnas, the tickets cost an arm and a leg, you can wave at the passing airplanes (and almost touch them), the hot dogs are awful, and the stadium is run down. Of course, the difference here is that the Mets almost never win. Still, the tickets are hard to come by.
Are the players worth the money? I'm not so sure. They are what they are because of the fans, but when a 10 year old kid wants an autograph he has to pay $25 to get it.
I don't know. There really is something wrong with this picture, and it all started with the owners.
Everyone I knew was a Dodger fan. We hated the dastardly Yankees because they always beat our Dodgers in the World Series. But, there was always next year, wait till next year.
I was 7 in 1957 when the O'Mally family moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. I was 8 when Brooklyn's shrine to baseball, Ebbets Field, was torn down to build a housing project. I remember how heartbroken all of the people of Brooklyn were. In 1959 we moved from Queens to Brooklyn, and I still remember the oldtimers cursing the O'Malleys. Many, myself included, think that the beginning of the decline of Brooklyn happened when the Dodgers left town.
I mention all of this because that was my first exposure to sport, specifically baseball, as a business. O'Malley deserted Brooklyn for the money, plain and simple, he wanted more. Brooklyn supported the team, but he wanted more.
I followed baseball as a teenager and into my twenties, I was a Met fan, but I never forgot what O'Malley did and that he did it for the all mighty dollar.
I've never been too surprised by the greed of the players, their managers or the team owners. As salaries have gone through the roof followed by ticket prices and players charging for autographs, I've always thought back to the Brooklyn Dodgers. You'd expect the players to be greedy, the owners showed them the way.
Are the players worth the money? They get it so I guess someone thinks they are. I'm not so sure. The fans pay for everything and yet the fans seem to get the least consideration. Try to get a ticket to Yankee Stadium. You pay a tremendous amount of money to sit closer to the passing airplanes than to the players. An afternoon of baseball for a family of 4 is a $200 affair. And the seats are awful and the hot dogs are worse. And, you're lucky to be able to get the tickets.
It's not much better at Shea. The players are primadonnas, the tickets cost an arm and a leg, you can wave at the passing airplanes (and almost touch them), the hot dogs are awful, and the stadium is run down. Of course, the difference here is that the Mets almost never win. Still, the tickets are hard to come by.
Are the players worth the money? I'm not so sure. They are what they are because of the fans, but when a 10 year old kid wants an autograph he has to pay $25 to get it.
I don't know. There really is something wrong with this picture, and it all started with the owners.
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09-28-2005, 07:06 AM
#8
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I'm not a NASCAR fan, but they do it right. It is a family friendly business, the owners mandate that the drivers HAVE to be available for autographs during certain times. If the drivers display behavior that is questionable, then they are fined.
They know their market and they keep their focus on keeping NASCAR family friendly and accessible.
The drivers do have their silly season, but I have never heard of one of them holding out on a contract to get more money.
They know their market and they keep their focus on keeping NASCAR family friendly and accessible.
The drivers do have their silly season, but I have never heard of one of them holding out on a contract to get more money.
09-28-2005, 10:30 AM
#9
Originally Posted by silvershadow,Sep 27 2005, 05:47 AM
Then when I went to college and saw the special treatment the athletes received (primarily football players), my attitude about sports began to change to the point where now I consider most professional athletes in the stick/ball sports to be steroid taking megalomaniacs with bad attitudes and no work ethic.
He does a great send-up of college basketball players.
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