OK, I don't watch ESPN because I don't have a TV. But I do like sports so I check their webpage.
Some of the stuff on ESPN, to me, is just not a sport.
Golf. It's a HS sport, college sport, and their are pros. But to me, it's just not a sport...it's a game, yes. Sport, no.
Horse racing, car racing...or any other sport that doesn't require legs. Of course you have to push the gas pedal and keep yourself on the horse. I guess horse racing would count as a sport for the horses. Racing with cars is something for 15 year olds to do for fun while they are drunk. 500 laps around the track on your legs or a bike, that's a sport.
The Spelling Bee. While I actually don't mind watching this for a bit, and one of my favorite video highlights comes from this, it's still not a sport.
The dog show. I'm not sure why, but this is on ESPN once a year, maybe more often, I'm not sure. While I have never seen an actual pageant (for people), I imagine that the dog show is similar...but for dogs. I would rather watch the people kind.
Bowling. Yes, it takes practice, there is pressure and money to be won...kind of like golf. But this is something for families to do with kids on their birthdays or for groups of men like Al Bundy with nothing else to do. It's a social thing.
Fishing and hunting. While I like participating in these, they're hobbies, pastimes, ways to get food, but not sports. Catching the animals with your barehands (assuming they could potentially kill you) and killing them, that would be a sport.
That's all I can think of at the moment. I am sure there are others that ESPN shows now and again. There should be some kind of criteria for something to be a sport. I think it must require endurance, athleticism, competition against another person. If there are teams it must require teamwork. If it's at the "pro" level and there is no disabled list then I wonder. Sports require athletic tape, sweat and stitches. Defense and offense...angry fans and rude chanting...trashtalk and carbo-loading. If the best "players" couldn't run a mile under ten minutes or do at least 30 pushups...then it's not a sport (I think all NFL offensive linemen as well as every women in a real sport would meet this criteria with ease.)
What's sad to me is that ESPN wouldn't have this kind of programming if it wasn't getting ratings. Really, who watches bowling or fishing on TV?
1 comment:
My parents love to watch fishing on tv - but fishing is in their blood. They can't get enough of it. I love to fish, but don't like to watch it on tv.
Also, I think you need to post that spelling bee video - I can only imagine its greatness. :)
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