Raise your hand if you care about the NBA, NHL, or MLB regular season. In fact, do you even really care about any one of these three sports? Have you ever stopped to think about why you don't care for these sports or at the very least, don't watch till they reach the postseason? As I've settled in to watch a couple NBA & NHL playoff games, I've pondered the same question. What has happened to these three sports, the ones that coupled with football had come to represent the major 4 sports in American soceity. In addition, what has caused the rise of NASCAR? Why does Europe and the rest of the world love soccer so much and why is it slowly gaining popularity here?
The simple answer is that their respective regular seasons are far too long and have come to mean absolutely nothing. The NBA & NHL regular seasons are especially useless as half of both leagues make the playoffs. Couple that with the fact that the NBA players don't really seem to try in the regular season (don't watch enough NHL to even say for sure) and you have almost zero reason to tune in before playoff time. You want to talk about watered down, try 82 regular season games. MLB's season is an even more preposterous 162 games! The only saving grace about Major League Baseball is the fact that only 4 teams from each league make the playoffs. However, let me repeat, 162 games! I'll tune in when it's August. In the meantime, NFL and college football regular seasons consist of anywhere from 12-16 games. NASCAR has 30 some odd races a year including the all important 10 that consist of the chase for the championship. In addition, MLS and soccer leagues worldwide play only 20-30 games before deciding their championships. The simple fact is that Americans don't tune in to ordinary sporting events without the possibility of something amazing, tragic, or simply bizarre happening. How else do you explain the fascination with Mike Tyson long after he was washed up. But I digress. However, there is another missing component that these sports don't have that soccer, football, and NASCAR all do.
That missing component is TAILGATING! The only thing Americans love more than the sporting events themselves is the social aspect of tailgating. Not to mention the fine food and drinks that often adorn the tailgate. However, except for the outragious partiers, one cannot tailgate 162 games a year or for that matter, even 82. Therefore, a reduced regular season lends itself to tailgating and that lends its fans to enjoy the sport even more.
Football is obviously king of the American sports universe. You could make a sound argument that a large portion of that success is due to tailgating. It is the now the event that makes the sport more than anything else, and two great examples of that are the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft. What else could explain the throngs of people that flock to New York City for the annual snooze fest that is the NFL Draft. In addition, the tailgating or partying makes the Super Bowl. Every year, tons of people who have no interest in football tune in only for the social aspect of the sport. Finally, the fact that every single game matters in the NFL season makes it a must watch.
NASCAR is very similar to football in that the event makes the sport. Hours before any NASCAR race there are tons of fans setting up shop in a nearby parking lot grilling, drinking, and discussing the varied possibilities for that day's race. To someone who views NASCAR as "drive fast, turn left", tailgating, coupled with zero meaningless races, is the only possible reason for the sudden and steady rise in it's popularity.
Finally, that brings me to soccer. As a fan of soccer, I could never quite understand why it hasn't caught on in the U.S.. It has all the qualities I just talked about that seems to make Americans gravitate towards a sport. It's regular season isn't watered down and tailgating is encouraged. While I've never been to Europe for a soccer match, I can guarentee that if Americans tailgate for soccer (as Sam's army parties long before and after any U.S. national team game) that Europeans are far wilder in their "preparation" for a soccer match. I realize that soccer is considered a sissy game, but anyone that has actually played the sport at a level greater than grade school realizes that isn't the case. So give it a chance. You may just find another interesting sport that allows you to "socialize" for hours before the game.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
One Man's Dream is Another's Nightmare
Let's imagine for a second. Imagine a story about a fictional man named John. John went to school at an acclaimed university and graduated with a degree in business management. He was an honor roll student, both admired by his peers and praised by his teachers. He came from a great home with wonderful family support. After college, John accepted a job with one of the best business firms in Chicago. He had it all...
John became lonely in Chicago. In an effort to seek companionship, he started to hang around with the wrong crowd. That crowd got John involved in drugs. Eventually, he got so involved in drugs that it cost him his job... and nearly his life. However, with great family support and a strong desire, John slowly pulled away from his addiction. He had spent close to 2 years of his life battling the addiction, but he's now been clean for nearly 3 years. John currently works at the food court in Walmart. He has tried, unsuccessfully, to get back into the business world, but no one wants to hire a former drug addict that could potentially ruin the companies image. He continues to toil though, praying for a second chance in his chosen profession...
Ask anybody who covers baseball what the story of the year so far is and they'll immediately proclaim Josh Hamilton. By now, Hamilton's story is well documented. Drafted number one in all of MLB straight out of high school, supremely talented, a can't miss prospect. The catch was that Hamilton's career hasn't turned out like we all planned. He spent years of his life battling drug addiction... to the point where it almost cost him his life and nearly his career. Sound familiar? This year, after not playing for two years and never higher than Single A ball, Josh Hamilton has arrived. From day 1 in training camp to the end of the first month of the season, Josh Hamilton has displayed all the skills we knew he always had. He's crushing major league pitching to the point where the Cincinnati Reds can't keep him out of the lineup. He's a star outfielder with a golden arm. The fans embrace his honesty and appreicate that he freely admits and discusses his mistakes. His second chance, to this point, has become a dream come true.... John works in the food court at Walmart.
Please don't look at this as a knock on Josh Hamilton ...because it's not. I'm a huge Josh Hamilton fan. I root for his continued success not only because I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan, but because it's a story about a man overcoming his demons and straightening out his life. He was given a second (maybe third or fourth) chance and he's made good. Isn't it a shame that our boy John isn't afforded, or never will be afforded the same opportunity. The reason ...he's not an athlete. See, in today's sports world it's okay for a talented athlete to be given a second chance. Professional sports teams can withstand public relations nightmares. Today's businesses can not. One major mistake by taking a chance on the wrong guy and there goes your credibility and your future. In terms of sports teams, look no further than right across town at the Cincinnati Bengals. Nine players arrested in 1 year. A lifetime of embarrasment for the organization ...that plays in front of a sold out crowd with record merchandise sales.
Doesn't seem fair does it? What does this tell you? I'll tell you what it tells me. That is, if you screw up, you better be able to run a 4.4 40 or hit a baseball 450 ft. If you can't do that, make sure you can nail a 23 foot jump shot or one time a drive into the back of the net. It isn't fair and it never will be. Josh Hamilton is a great story. He's a guy we can all root for, a guy we all want to succeed. John works in the food court at Walmart. He runs a 5.3 40 and has absolutely no jump shot.
John became lonely in Chicago. In an effort to seek companionship, he started to hang around with the wrong crowd. That crowd got John involved in drugs. Eventually, he got so involved in drugs that it cost him his job... and nearly his life. However, with great family support and a strong desire, John slowly pulled away from his addiction. He had spent close to 2 years of his life battling the addiction, but he's now been clean for nearly 3 years. John currently works at the food court in Walmart. He has tried, unsuccessfully, to get back into the business world, but no one wants to hire a former drug addict that could potentially ruin the companies image. He continues to toil though, praying for a second chance in his chosen profession...
Ask anybody who covers baseball what the story of the year so far is and they'll immediately proclaim Josh Hamilton. By now, Hamilton's story is well documented. Drafted number one in all of MLB straight out of high school, supremely talented, a can't miss prospect. The catch was that Hamilton's career hasn't turned out like we all planned. He spent years of his life battling drug addiction... to the point where it almost cost him his life and nearly his career. Sound familiar? This year, after not playing for two years and never higher than Single A ball, Josh Hamilton has arrived. From day 1 in training camp to the end of the first month of the season, Josh Hamilton has displayed all the skills we knew he always had. He's crushing major league pitching to the point where the Cincinnati Reds can't keep him out of the lineup. He's a star outfielder with a golden arm. The fans embrace his honesty and appreicate that he freely admits and discusses his mistakes. His second chance, to this point, has become a dream come true.... John works in the food court at Walmart.
Please don't look at this as a knock on Josh Hamilton ...because it's not. I'm a huge Josh Hamilton fan. I root for his continued success not only because I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan, but because it's a story about a man overcoming his demons and straightening out his life. He was given a second (maybe third or fourth) chance and he's made good. Isn't it a shame that our boy John isn't afforded, or never will be afforded the same opportunity. The reason ...he's not an athlete. See, in today's sports world it's okay for a talented athlete to be given a second chance. Professional sports teams can withstand public relations nightmares. Today's businesses can not. One major mistake by taking a chance on the wrong guy and there goes your credibility and your future. In terms of sports teams, look no further than right across town at the Cincinnati Bengals. Nine players arrested in 1 year. A lifetime of embarrasment for the organization ...that plays in front of a sold out crowd with record merchandise sales.
Doesn't seem fair does it? What does this tell you? I'll tell you what it tells me. That is, if you screw up, you better be able to run a 4.4 40 or hit a baseball 450 ft. If you can't do that, make sure you can nail a 23 foot jump shot or one time a drive into the back of the net. It isn't fair and it never will be. Josh Hamilton is a great story. He's a guy we can all root for, a guy we all want to succeed. John works in the food court at Walmart. He runs a 5.3 40 and has absolutely no jump shot.
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