Sunday, March 23, 2008

Sunday Scribblings: I just don't get it.

This week's Sunday Scribblings theme is "I just don't get it." It's been up since Thursday, and I've been puzzling over how to write that in a post for about as long.

So after much puzzling and mentally composing and deleting and re-composing, I came up with it: sports. I really don't get sports. It's not because I never did well in gym class. It's not that I'm averse to what looks like brutality sometimes.

I don't get the energy with which people support their teams, no matter how poorly they play. One of the neighbors goes so far as to lower to half-mast the flag with our football team's logo when they lose a game (which happens frequently). I've seen otherwise-mature professors leave taunting messages on each other's chalkboards during college football season.

I don't get the draw of huge extravaganzas like that Really Big Football game in January (you know, the one where a few years ago, an entertainer lost her shirt and sent the FCC into a puritanical frenzy). At least that event is only one day; then you have events like the Current Ongoing Basketball Frenzy that lead to outright sniping between people rooting for different teams (and many nasty, antagonistic Facebook wall posts and status updates). The vast majority of people invested in those games are mere spectators; most will only watch the games on TV (which, by the way, interferes with regular programming for some of us less sports-inclined types...). I would be willing to concede that actually attending a game could exciting, with a lot of energy in the stands, but to passively watch on a square box in your living room?

Those at least are games with action. What about that game where the competitors walk around, hit a ball, walk some more, and hit the ball again, until it's dropped into a little cup beneath a flag? Seriously, how is that entertaining or engaging? Or as suspenseful as the high speed of car races are, doesn't it get boring to watch cars drive around in circles after a while?

Serious yawn-fest. I think I'll go back to my book. Now that's exciting stuff ;).

----------------
Now playing: Brand New - Sowing Season
via FoxyTunes

9 comments:

Tumblewords: said...

Nice take on the prompt!!

Jennifer Hicks said...

The armchair athletes who hurl criticism is what gets me! Well articulated thoughts!

Betty Carlson said...

Very well written. Welcome to Sunday Scribblings! It's great fun. I actually haven't written on a prompt for a while, but still enjoy dropping by.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to SS! Keep posting!

watered down

GreenishLady said...

I'm so with you on that. There are very few sports I'd choose to watch. Ice-skating, perhaps. I went through a snooker phase once, but contact sports? Motor sports? No, thank you!

Pirate Princess said...

lol - I GET the sentiment! We aren't sports people either - in fact, I saw the superbowl for the first time in my life because my husband wanted to see what all the hoopla was about. I'm so glad he's not into it either!

Nice scribble. :)

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

I don't like many sports, either, especially the non-contact ones. Give me hockey, give me the Steelers, or give me a book.

Cool take on the prompt!

Gemma Wiseman said...

I feel I could enjoy watching a variety of sports IF the media didn't go into a frenzy about whether some guy stepped on a line or not; or whther so and so had enough training for the week. The adherence to nitty gritty detail behind the scenes is absolutely nauseating!

This is sport, not a diary of backyard laundry detail!

Great post!

Gemma

Jane Doe said...

I have caught the whole 'sports fever' thing either. Especially when it comes to watching golf. That has to be the most boring sport there is. I turn that on when I need something to nap to, it puts me right to sleep!

Anyway, this was a great write. I like how you used the prompt.

Have a great weekend!

Jane