Sports - Integrity of the Game

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 

From: Holder of the Truth
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 1:39 PM
To: hockeydino
Subject: RE:

there is none...depressing

-----Original Message-----
From: hockeydino
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 1:36 PM
To: Holder of the Truth
Subject: RE:

and the fix is?

From: Holder of the Truth
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 1:24 PM
To: Hockeydino
Subject: RE:

The only thing I care about is the experience, but what ruins the experience for me is when the players who are responsible for my rooting interest play with a lack of fundamentals and discipline. They also play selfishly for stats and don't make adjustments for the betterment of the team. I grew up believing that I was watching players who did the right thing for their team.

Let's compare Pudge's...The baseball in my mind is Carlton Fisk who cared deeply about the success of his team and who was a great leader. The baseball in my reality is Ivan Rodriguez who is swinging at everything in his contract year. I love Carlton, I do not love Ivan.

-->

Because sports has become a microcosm of society, I have become less incline to care. Sports is suppose to be escape from the realities of society. The problem is that the lack of integrity, stupidity, arrogance, entitlement, immaturity, and selfishness shows up in the performance on the field.

-----Original Message-----
From: hockeydino
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 1:07 PM
To: Holder of the Truth
Subject: RE:

When baseball canceled the World Series, I divorced myself from the game. I did not watch any baseball for 3 years...I just didn't care and I was so mad. I then got the itch back to watch it...attend games...just for the game. I didn't care about salaries, free agent signings, arbitration...I ignored that. I still try to do that...I only care about what is on on the field.

It's also a reason why I will not talk sports with chicks or read the papers - because I don't care about what flavor of coffee Maltby drinks. Any ounce of time given to that crap is a waste of my time. I prefer to read about stories and anecdotes in a biography, which helps put things into a different perspective.

-->

I'm not sure I totally agree with Issacs quote. Part of that arena in your head is emotional attachments to the play of those players. I love the way Pudge guns out a guy at third base, but I could care less about him. That does not upset me. When I was young I loved the way Pete Rose played, that's who I think about - not the moron who gambled his life away.

I don't love the owners, I don't love the players...I love the games. More as I watch the games and see players conversing during the games I can't help but think how they are just going through the motions of entertaining us. Where's the competition?

The lack of integrity, stupidity, arrogance, entitlement, immaturity, and selfishness is prevalent everywhere and sports is just a microcosm of it.

I want x's and o's executed by everlasting heroes.

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From: Holder of the Truth
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 12:39 PM
To: hockeydino
Subject: RE:

-->I don't love baseball. I don't love most of today's players. I don't love the owners. I do love, however, the baseball that is in the heads of baseball fans. I love the dreams of glory of 10-year-olds, the reminiscences of 70-year-olds. The greatest baseball arena is in our heads, what we bring to the games, to the telecasts, to reading newspaper reports.

~Stan Isaacs, "Diamond-Studded Memories," Newsday, 9 April 1990

This is were I am at right now. Over the last year sports has started to become annoying. I can't take the lack of integrity, stupidity, arrogance, entitlement, immaturity, and selfishness that is so prevalent right now. If you aren't cynical about sports you are just plain stupid. I love to play the games and always will, but I'm starting to think that it doesn't make any sense to emotionally or financially invest myself in individuals who for the most part I don't respect as people.