It always was there, and people who know much about me know nervous energy -- not peace and calm -- is part of the explosive package.
Now it has come to this. I never imagined that some day I would write: I am a tired old sports fan.
That might surprise some because passion for athletics has defined me. Other than the love for my wife, kids and grandkids -- and, yes, friends -- sports has driven me every day in every year.
But I'm fed up. I addressed this in a blog almost five years ago -- http://nvanthyn.blogspot.com/2012/10/stressed-out-dont-like-it.html, and now it's worse.
In most of my blogs, I try to stay upbeat, although that is difficult when writing about Nazis and the Holocaust. I have taken my shots in some sports blogs -- hello, Jerry Jones, and goodbye forever, George M. Steinbrenner -- but mostly the focus has been positive.
This blog isn't going to be positive.
I can hardly stand to watch sports anymore -- in person, on television or on computer.
---
Stories are more difficult to read, to digest. I hardly ever look at a newspaper these days, and I can do only so much reading sports news on the screen in front of me right now.
When I see breaking sports news, I cringe. When I watch games or events, I mostly can't stand the athletes' behavior, and I don't like their looks. I am repulsed -- really -- by most college and pro coaches.
I strongly believe there is so much hypocrisy in college athletics. For instance: recruiting. So overdone, overblown; kids' egos far out of control. The media and recruiting services/web sites' obsession with "verbal commitments" is part of the problem.
Colleges "offering" scholarships before kids even qualify academically for school should be prohibited, nor should kids be allowed to sign before their senior seasons in a sport are completed. Yes, I have some radical ideas.
College athletes are spoiled, pampered -- and no way like "normal" students. Pay them for playing? My view: A free education is pretty darned good pay.
Far too much money involved in all college athletics, and that's even more true in pro sports. It's so out of whack with the rest of society, it's not right.
Salaries, for players and coaches, are outrageous. Ticket prices? It galls me to even look at them. Public financing for stadiums, ridiculous (that's you, Arlington, Texas).
I see people who are excited about the NFL preseason games. People, read this: biggest ripoff in sports today, period.
For the first time, I am not looking forward to football season. Nope, not even college football.
I used to count down the weeks until opening kickoff. Not even nervous this year. Maybe next week, I will feel the anxiety of another LSU season, another Louisiana Tech season.
Really, I try to avoid anything NFL. The Cowboys are just a soap opera; so many sideshows; so much Jerry Jones in our face. So much boring Jason Garrett. If QB Dakota Prescott -- with his Bossier Parish ties -- wasn't there, it would be a total wash for me. I can root for Dak.
The violence of the game never has been appealing. And it's a violent game, no way around it. So many people relish the "big hits," but celebrating them -- as if often done -- is a poor message.
The injuries -- concussions, threat (and reality) of paralysis, multiple surgeries for so many -- are awful. Worse: the more frequent deaths/suicides related to CTE (brain damage).
If they never played another football game, my life would be OK. Feels strange because the sport has been so important to me for so, so long.
No longer watch the NBA. Just as in the NFL (and college sports), it would be a lot better if the athletes did not celebrate after almost every good play they make.
Stopped following tennis years ago, about the same time as boxing (after Ali, I did not care). Do like track and field, especially in OIympic years; same for swimming. Olympics, as a whole, are far too commercial.
Never much of a car-racing fan or horse racing, but I watched and read about those sports when I was working because I needed to know enough to edit stories.
Still like watching golf, but limit it to the majors and the tournaments I love most, on courses with which I am familiar (Colonial, right here by the apartments, and The Players Championship). And it usually takes one of the great young players on tour now to be in contention and draw my attention.
First love, soccer, boring as it is. Love it lots more when The Netherlands' men's team is playing well. But that was one World Cup ago.
 |
| The Texas Rangers pour it on after a victory (Getty Images photo) |
Really can't stand the walkoff victory celebrations -- the team-jumping exercise, the pouring of Gatorade (see this week's Sports Illustrated cover -- the Dodgers), water, powder on the "hero," even if the other team made an error that allows the winning run to score. Especially don't like the pileup and the ripping off of the game shirt.
Throwing pitches at batters or behind them, on-field skirmishes (as in Yankees-at-Tigers on Thursday): dumb and dangerous. Play the game the right way.
So stupid all of it. Young men acting like kids? A whole bunch of spoiled, overpaid brats.
You really want me to go on a rant, let's go back to college football coaches. Ah, never mind. I don't have enough time or space or energy. But I am so, so tired of them especially -- our great role models.
Just a sample, consider the scandals. Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss, North Carolina and academics, Art Briles and a rape culture, Bobby Petrino and the motorcycle mistress, (unfortunately) the late Joe Paterno. I could list dozens.
Our son-in-law, who is host for a radio sports talk show, tweeted this a couple of weeks ago:
"I'm so over these coaches. Butch [Jones], [Ed] Orgeron, [Brian] Kelly, [Tom] Herman ... all paranoid, self-obsessed dullards."
I agree totally. Let me add sanctimonious and obsessive (Nick Saban), control freak (Gary Patterson), brash (Jim Harbaugh), whiner (Urban Meyer), cocky (Jim McFlorida), zany (the out-of-work but well-paid Les Miles), slightly berserk (Dabo Swinney) and unintelligible (Orgeron).
And at Louisville, angry-man Petrino. It is a scandal double-play when you add basketball -- Rick Pitino (a friend says that when he goes to a restaurant he orders "a table that will hold two") and his staff runs an escort service, but of course he had nothing to do with that.
I never was much of a sports-talk show fan, be it radio or television. But I know several radio show hosts -- son-in-law and some friends -- who I respect and who know their stuff, and I am glad they're on the air.
And I am happy for my friends and former co-workers still making a good living in the newspaper or online sportswriting business.
When I do watch games, I seldom have the sound turned on. I will listen only to a few announcers. Mute is good. I usually can figure out what's going on.
I have a friend who, went I told him how I'm feeling, said, "There is nothing like walking into a full college football stadium." True, if that's what you like. To me, it's a pain being in a big crowd and waiting out massive traffic jams.
Millions of fans in all sports do like what they pay big prices to see. Good for them. I'm out.
---
But, but, but ... two qualifiers.
(1) It's not that I do not care about my teams; I am just as intense a fan as ever. When they win, great (but better when they play well). When they lose, it still feels bad. It always will.
I must remind myself: It's a game; the results are fleeting.
(2) Because I am addicted to LSU football, and addictions are hard to break, and because I am interested in Louisiana Tech athletics, I will pay attention. I might even watch the games live on TV (when available).
Might watch. But I might just follow on computer. Or, as I did with LSU's early kickoff bowl game last season, I will record the game on U-Verse and watch it later. I did that all last season with the Cowboys' games, and the Super Bowl.
Cuts down on the stress level, and don't have to sit through the commercials.
I don't intend to watch games in person, not for the time being. I did attend three college football games and one basketball game last season, more because I enjoyed being with friends who invited me. Hey, I even paid for one ticket.
So, for my friends, don't even ask. And don't call to talk to me about athletics. I'll let you know when I'm ready. Until then, I am stressed and I am tired of it all.
From Ken Sins: I respect your position. We all view sports through our own prisms.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this is one of my primary pastimes and I'm not going to deny myself because there are aspects I don't like. I follow a dozen teams and, despite plenty of anxiety, watching them gives me pleasure and distracts me from the damage the lunatic-in-chief is causing on so many fronts. I'm sure I'll hate whatever Trump does or says. But I never know how one of my teams will fare.
From Jimmy Russell: I agree with 99 percent (allowing for 1% error margin). I cannot stand most of the college athletes who have been told how great they are since they were 13 and had everything given to them and they begin to feel they are entitled. Pay them? Hell, no. Wonder if they know what a free college education would cost them or their parents, many who could not afford one otherwise. Most of the kids don’t even care about getting an education until their pro dreams go up in smoke and they feel they have been cheated. The NCAA does not care, either. I like the baseball rule, which is when you start a four-year school, you must play three years. ... I could go on ...
ReplyDeleteFrom Sylvia Pesek: AMEN!
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not the world's biggest fan of hyperbole, I agree 100 percent.
Thank you. I used to holler my lungs out for the Oilers "back in the day," but I have utterly and totally lost interest in sports for the very reasons you mentioned, except, like you, for the individual sports in track, field, swimming, diving and ice skating, especially
ice dancing, which I think must surely be the nearest thing to flying on dry land (OK, ice).
And I will watch soccer, mainly because usually the players are less arrogant and obnoxious
than those in other sports, though that is certainly not universally true, either. But that's what my grandkids played when they were younger. My granddaughter was an excellent catcher, too, so I watched a few baseball games when I was in Austin, but now that she's in high school, she doesn't have time to do everything, and band practice, along with Sherwood Forest Camp, eats up her summers.
Thanks for saying what needed to be said. There are, as always, individual players who are exceptions to the rule, but every time I hear of one, I think, "If you're so smart, why the hell are you playing _______?"
Bravo.
(and she claps slowly from the sidelines)
From Randall Perry: Agree. Athletes just act stupid these days.
ReplyDeleteFrom Glenn Theis: Since we haven’t seen each other in a couple of years, how did you know so much about me? This column seemed exactly like me.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, probably the last 10 major-league baseball games I have watched have been World Series games, mostly just the last game. The same goes for football, only the Super Bowl. I don’t even watch basketball at all. I don’t even read the MLB, NFL, or NBA scores or writeups. Occasionally I will look at the list of all-stars and find I have heard of only two or three of them.
I used to read the writeups about every game and studied the box scores so much that I figured batting averages in my head. Statistics were my thing. (And you and I were together at SPAR Stadium watching American Legion games.) So much has changed; I guess it’s burnout. But I don’t seem to miss it at all.
I do watch tennis (our interest has increased since our daughter Lauren plays on the Ruston High tennis team). And I watch golf to see how Jordan Spieth is doing.
Now I will still go to Louisiana Tech games -– football, basketball, a few baseball games and some tennis matches. I love listening to Dave Nitz, Teddy Allen and Jackson Thigpen. I have missed only two Tech home football games since I was a freshman. ... Both of those games we listened to on the radio.
I so understand what you wrote about everything else (except soccer) -- coaches, players, celebrations, paying college players, recruiting, attitudes, ticket prices, egos, etc.
Thanks again for expressing my thoughts and feelings so well.
From Ed English: What about those kids out on the lawn?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I don’t know if there’s anything that has revolutionized sports spectating as much as the DVR.
For a game I really are about ... let’s say Texas-OU ... I’ll DVR and start watching 45 minutes after kickoff. That is solely so I can skip ads ... or when OU scores, I can fast-forward through the replay, the extra point, and the obligatory fan/player celebration montage.
If it’s a game I’m interested in but not emotionally involved, say Auburn-Alabama or Michigan-Ohio State, I’ll DVR, start an hour after kickoff and skip all ads, plus chunks of the action.
As you can tell, I’m ad adverse, so much so that I think the last ad I actually saw in its entirety either had Madge’s manicure clients soaking in Palmolive or Mrs. Olsen lecturing on the superiority of coffee grown at high altitudes.
From Ross Montelbano: First, there is little to argue about regarding your view of American sports. However, I'd like to point out some things.
ReplyDeleteFirst, everything that you said about sports applies to society in general. The actions of movie stars, music acts, citizens in general and especially the President have ALL deteriorated to an almost total lack of dignity. Sports is just a microcosm of life in 2017.
Secondly, the 24-hour coverage of the sex life of A-Rod with Madonna or the 500 different views of Odell Beckham acting a fool are not something that happened in your heyday. The constant coverage, Facebook, Instagram, tweeting and the rest have allowed events that no one knew about to be exposed. And as they are exposed over and over, the monkey-see, monkey-do world in which we live feels the need to "one up" them. Whatever outrageous thing Lady Gaga did, Miley had to one up her. Whatever TO did, OBJ has to one up.
What if Ty Cobb's action, Jimmy Piersall's or Mickey and Bill Martin's nights on the town had been on social network? The deterioration would have occurred earlier. Life is not as we remember it years ago. I try to put things in perspective. I remember the older people of my youth. Students were sent home for hair over the ears. I remember two girls getting sent home for wearing argyle knee socks. Things that seemed outrageous to them were not outrageous at all to us. I've often wondered how a person from the 1870s would last if they were transported to 2017. Yes, they would be shocked at the lack of dignity. Then again, they would be shocked that they couldn't manhandle a female, call a black man the [N-word], couldn't beat up a gay person, look at a 60-year-old woman and not believe that they were 30, understand how people could live in such luxury and complain about how bad they have it, etc.
Basically, time changes everything, whether we like it or not. My friend, I'd like for you to use your extremely awesome ability with words to point out the goodness in athletes like Dak, Jordan (voted the most liked golfer by his fellow golfers), the sportsmanship at the Little League World Series or the way Mike Trout carries himself. Like life, there a millions of good things happening everyday in sports. Watch how Adrian Beltre plays the game with such joy and effort.
I don't deny one thing that you said, but they aren't the majority of things taking place, just like the majority of cops aren't beating the [heck] out of innocent people. Your pieces on people that you admire are loved by us. Why, because the media gives time to the outrageous.
You remind us of how it should be. ... I've been to the Field of Dreams and it is magical. Like the song says, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, the nation turns its lonely eyes to you?"
From John Whitmore: I completely understand. Get away from it for a while. Hopefully at some point the interest will return. Until then, I'll respect your position.
ReplyDeleteFrom Tommy Henry: I am in 1,000 percent agreement with you on your thoughts about sports this day and time. Since the Advocate is now owned by some guy from New Orleans, we are now smothered with stories about the Saints and the Pelicans and, of course, LSU football, regardless of the season. (They do toss in an obligatory story about Southern now and then -- in season.)
ReplyDeleteI still like college baseball where they play the game for the "love of the game" while not getting paid and not covered in tattoos ...
From Kirby Ramsey: I feel your pain. During our youth there was one NFL game a week [on TV]. After the game some players like Andy Robustelli, the New York Giants defensive end, had to hurriedly leave the stadium so they could make it to their other job. That was when pro football was fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteFrom Kitty Van der Woude: Can't you switch to women's soccer? The Netherlands became European champions recently.
ReplyDeleteFrom Maxie Hays: Loved your blog today regarding being tired of sports. I agree with many, many things you said. I love high school and college sports. Can do without pro sports.
ReplyDeleteI could never say that I'm tired of sports,though. It's been a part of my life since I was a little boy!
My two all-time favorite sports experiences are: (1) My first game to watch in Tiger Stadium. LSU vs Georgia Tech. Jimmy Taylor became my hero. (2) The Green Bay Packers vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers (when they were awful) in New Orleans, Tulane Stadium, exhibition game. Jimmy Taylor made me a Packers fan forever.
Coaches are way overpaid at all levels. Saw yesterday where principals in these big school around here (north central Texas) are paid $140,000-plus per year. They have to pay them that much because the head coaches are paid $100,000-plus and don't teach a class. Awful.
From Jason Brown: When I was a kid, I was obsessed with sports. The big three, college football and basketball, tennis, Olympics, the two or three soccer games on TV every four years, even stuff like the USFL. That obsession has faded greatly, but I've resigned myself to the fact I will always be hooked on football (college and pro), and especially the Cowboys. I mostly tune out everything except the actual games, which makes it way more enjoyable. That and not working [long] hours on some sports desk.
ReplyDeleteFrom Tynes Hildebrand: As much as my life has been athletics I find it is not as important to me as past years. I never watch NBA and NFL with the exception of the Saints. College basketball seems to be less coaching and more Run-Shoot-Holer-Follow. Life today for many is money and no work. When I look at stats on able men not working, those on food stamps, Medicaid and government checks, I know our toughness as a nation is fading away. You and I do think alike.
ReplyDelete