Comments on: Friday Fire: Do You Still Love Sports?

By: michelle

michelle — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 04:59:47 +0000

I liked sports a lot more when C-WEBB was running and gunning with the Kings but time stops for no one and YES I STILL LOVE SPORTS!

By: Matthew Fudge

Matthew Fudge — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:55:15 +0000

BTW, I used to watch “All My Children” back in the day, so I can’t put anybody on blast for watching soaps.

By: Matthew Fudge

Matthew Fudge — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:53:43 +0000

I love sports. I just don’t like the players much anymore. And this is from a person who, when the Bulls lost to the Pacers in Game 6 of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals, stormed out of my mother’s apartment in E. Orange, NJ and walked to Elmwood Park. No way I’d waste my emotions on a game today. My feelings towards athletes changed when the NBA locked out the players in 1998. Between Patrick Ewing saying “We make a lot, but we spend a lot”, Kenny Anderson saying he might have to sell one of his eight cars, Charles Barkley saying that if fans don’t show up, they still have to do their jobs, and the sight of David Stern’s fat, smug and bearded self walking towards his limo on his way to Aspen, I finally realized that athletes don’t care about the fans. They only care about themselves. Not one person that I can remember stepped up and said, “We’re sorry that we took the games away.” No accountability at all. No apologies for giving us a shortened, crappy ’98-99 season. Is this entirely their fault? Nope. The fans, media, and sports teams in general all have a hand in feeding athletes’ isolation, self-absorption and self-importance. Did we really need to hear about where LeBron James will play in two years when we’re in a recession and everyone’s struggling in the real world? You can’t expect athletes to have any life perspective when they perform in an industry that doesn’t facilitate it. So, looking at sports (and life) as a grown-a– man and not a child, I’ll enjoy the games because, let’s face it, most of us live mundane, crappy, drama-filled lives and need an escape. But I’ll no longer invest ANY emotions in the players.

By: HarveyDent

HarveyDent — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:12:23 +0000

EDIT***where I first SAW Ms. Fox I should say

By: HarveyDent

HarveyDent — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:10:59 +0000

Tell ‘em, Dred, because they don’t know about ‘Generations’ which is where I first say Vivica A. Fox…before she lost her gotdarn mind but she was a cutie then.

By: Miranda

Miranda — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 01:27:20 +0000

The fact that so many of you guys watched the soaps…gives me great pause………………………………..I’m gonna have to process that information before I can even begin to respond to the actual topic at hand.

By: Dredded One

Dredded One — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:54:38 +0000

Nice thread, fellas. Shout outs to des (Go O’s!! **sigh**) and JP for his insight. Can you let us know when your article is published? Sounds very interesting.

Y’all have covered most of it and I think O said it that college basketball is pretty much the best sport going because of its lack of drama but high pagentry. To me, the fact that is not year-round like the other sports is a sigh of relief. You actually have a lot of anticipation leading up to March Madness.

As for the soaps, I went to a George Mason which is a commuter school. So instead of watching tv in 1 set place, everyone would watch a show somewhere else and talk about it at the Black Student Union. Our show was “Generations”.

By: jimmy paz

jimmy paz — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:46:02 +0000

We all seem to agree that we still love sports, but we sure don’t like the way the MSM covers the games we love. Unlike some of the posters, I don’t think the “good old days” were any better. In spite of all of its racism, hype, and hypocrisy (I could go on for a while), I’d still miss ESPN. The alternative for NFL highlights, for example, was Howard Cosell at halftime of MNF. Just when I think I can’t stand one more second of the world-wide leader, I remind myself that any outfit which gave us Robin Roberts and Keith Olberman can’t be all bad. What’s worse than ESPN for me is local sports talk radio. What’s especially annoying is the extent to which almost all of this idiocy is in fact politics in the guise of sports talk. The AMAWG’s and AWOG’s who host the shows and call in to them talk about sports, but what they’re really saying is that wealthy African-American athletes should be grateful, lose the tattoos and dreads, and keep their mouths shut; that our society is too permissive; that kids need to be spanked; that people should shut up and do what they’re told; that today’s young people are spoiled; that we’re a nation of whiners; that gays are deviant; that the same competitive spirit that drives sports teams and athletes should also guide our country’s social and foreign policies, and so on. I live in Michigan, where a bridge loan to the car companies has widespread public support, for obvious reasons. Everywhere, that is, except on the sports talk radio shows, where the almost unanimous opinion is that the government should let the Big 3 go out of business. Competition, you see. Or to punish the Ford family for what they’ve done to the Lions. You’ll notice that it’s not just politics–it’s right wing politics. So far, I’ll bet many of you are with me. Now we’re probably going to part company. I think American sports culture has an inherently right-wing bias. The cliche that playing sports builds character is true up to a point: sports teaches the importance of discipline, hard work, teamwork, and loyalty very well. But sports does not teach critical thought, tolerance, honesty, or empathy very well, if at all. And it almost has to be that way. You couldn’t run a football team with a bunch of critical thinkers who heard different drummers, empathized with the opposing team, and called their own violations to the attention of the officials. And American football additionally requires a great ability to tolerate, if not enjoy, violence. I know I’ve greatly over-simplified here (I’m trying to write an article on the relationship between sports culture and right-wing political thoughtJ), but there it is. I still love the games themselves, but I realize that in order to do so, I have to hold in abeyance for a while my knowledge that the ideology of American sports is largely on the opposite side of the political spectrum where I live the rest (and more important part) of my life. Even though I know better, I mainly watch for entertainment. For better or worse (and I think it’s often for the worse), I was raised in the sports culture. It’s the main way men communicate with their male friends.

By: des

des — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:01:40 +0000

GrandNubian,

Bo and Hope were the latter-day Luke and Laura. I won’t lie, I had a thing for Ashley on Y & R, but there was a sista named Stephanie Williams on there who had a body built for sin. Memories.

By: Temple3

Temple3 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:41:50 +0000

GN:

They’re still fine.

By: Temple3

Temple3 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:41:17 +0000

Ditto what HD said.

By: Co Co

Co Co — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:30:12 +0000

Yes, but there are certain media outlets that may very well change that. The tough thing is that there’s barely any way to get away from it because they have a contract with all of the major sports so if you want to watch any of the games you almost have to come in contact with their madness. Sorry for the run-on. I still love sports, but I can do without all the tabloid journalism and over-reactions to simple things.

By: GrandNubian

GrandNubian — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:22:21 +0000

origin,

Yall know Days couldn’t touch Y&R!!!

By: origin

origin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:41:29 +0000

Oh and Harvey………..days of our lives was the joint in the 90s.

Me and my roomate in college would tape it between clases and come back to the room and watch it.

LOL!!!!

By: origin

origin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:39:55 +0000

Great comments everyone.

I myself still love the game………well at this point I could care less about College Football and the NFL because of their good ole boy politics.

But as far as the MSM………..I stop messing with that mcrap….sportingnews radio, ESPIN, SI, ABC and Fox pregame………and the rest could go to he11.

I tell my wife that I have killed more brain cells watching and listening to that MSM ignorance then I did in all my years in college drinking.

To me NBATV and TNT are the best. The fact that TNT took a segment to talk about Derrick Coleman work says alot.

The fact that I can watch those shows and get balanced info is refreshing.

Plus they actually talk Xs and Os. Very little comments on off the court incidents and other junk. Just straight to the point.

Watching ESPIN NBA pregame is like listening to teenage girls gossiping about who kisses the best. Just straight ignorance.