Pro-Sports - A cesspool...............................

[Cut-Throat]

With the outing of a Ref on the take at the NBA, Steroids in baseball and now golf - aren't you ashamed to even watch?

Boycott them all and hope they go away. I'd rather watch Gwen Steffani rub her pussy!

 

[HFWR]

I'd rather watch Gwen Steffani rub her pussy!

John Madden: BOOM!!

Dick Vitale: Yeah, baby!!

 

[Dawg52]

With the outing of a Ref on the take at the NBA, Steroids in baseball and now golf - aren't you ashamed to even watch?

Boycott them all and hope they go away.

I agree. With respect to golf, Gary Player made a comment that he 'thinks' probably 10 golfers are on steroids or something similar, but he gave no names. Anything is possible but the main reason golfers hit the ball so far is because of technology. Even I hit the ball much further than I did 10-15 years ago. And it's because of much better clubs and golf balls. No steroids for me. Although I do consume more beer.

 

[farmerEd]

Never, even as a kid, got into watching sports of any kind. As an adult the only event I even mildly followed was the Tour-de-France and now knowing that almost all of them are on steroids takes the fun out of that one too...

 

[Moemg]

The ref Tim Donaghy lives in in my town .His family has had death threats .I guess he did pretty good since the homes in that neighborhood are in the multi millions .Dick Vitale also lives there .

 

[Goonie]

I've never much cared for 'professional' sports. Way too many over payed, whiny, cry babies for my taste. Most players could give a sh*t less about the fans that pay to see them perform. So for the most part I have NO use for 'pro' sports.

Although, since my Mom is a die-hard Cubs fan, I'll watch a game on TV with her once in a while. And I also take her to Chicago a couple times a year so she can see them play "live" at Wrigley Field. I took her a week and a half ago to see them tromp the Astros, and I'm taking her next month to to see them play the Cardinals. It all makes for an enjoyable day.....some hot dogs, peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and some sodas.....sunshine....oh, and 42,000+ screaming fans!!!

For myself, I prefer a relaxing Sunday afternoon in front of the tube watching 43 cars chasing each other in a circle around a racetrack at 200mph!

I really like to go watch local high school sports, especially basketball and volleyball, and some of the community sponsored youth sports like softball and occasionally baseball. Those kids give it their all, and they really appreciate the fans cheering them on!

 

[samclem]

I enjoy participating in sports, but watch maybe one football game per year.

Does anybody think college football or basketball is any better than the pro versions? The athletes are not students (what percent of Div 1 school athletes graduate . . what percent with a meaningful degree?). Now, college football at places that give no perks to the athletes, that's something different. Yep, the teams aren't very good, but at least you are seeing actual students on the field/court.

In my opinion, the "big" sports programs at the Div 1 schools actually diminish the school's reputation for the important stuff--academics, and the building of student character.

 

[GatorBuzz]

Does anybody think college football or basketball is any better than the pro versions? The athletes are not students (what percent of Div 1 school athletes graduate . . what percent with a meaningful degree?). Now, college football at places that give no perks to the athletes, that's something different. Yep, the teams aren't very good, but at least you are seeing actual students on the field/court.

It's actually not too much different than the non-athlete student population with respect to graduation rates. It's lower, but not by as much as many would think. The truth is that there are thousands of even Division I football/basketball players who know they will never, ever play a down of professional sports. But they are earning a degree. For many of these players, athletics is the only reason they will have a degree, and one that came with no student loan debt. Of course there are the prima donnas in college and I don't argue that all of them are fine, upstanding citizens.

But D1 schools have 85 students on football scholarships. Maybe, *maybe*, the best teams will send 6 to the NFL. Some have done more in a given year, of course, but 6 drafted players from one team is pretty good. That leaves a lot of graduating seniors every year who actually hit the workforce.

I'm not going to argue that college athletics is a bastion of integrity, b/c there are a lot of shady things that go on, but it is not as bad as some people believe. It's also not as good as others believe. All in all, I believe it is college athletics are much more passionate and therefore more fun to watch than pros. But hey, that's just me.

Not sure what a "meaningful degree" means. I graduated with an anthropology degree. Many may say that is not meaningful, but I'm doing okay now.

Link: NCAA - Division I Graduation Success Rate Climbs to 77 Percent

 

[kaudrey]

Add in doping in cycling and Michael Vick, and you can knock them all out...

Karen - sports fan, but feeling kind of sad about it all...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I think we're getting exactly what we want.


Deify teenagers and 20-somethings, demand godlike performance from them while presuming they'll live like monks, and shove millions of dollars into their pockets. Combine that with a fair percentage coming from backgrounds filled with neighborhood crime and bad actors that want to "come along for the ride", then throw in a little "you're getting old and arent keeping up with the young kids".

I think the results are fairly predictable.

Hmm, what would I have been like at 19 or 20, having people watch me catch a ball on television nationwide, with ten million bucks in my pocket and the sort of folks I hung out with then?

Not good.

The solution is pretty straightforward, but no sports nut would go for it. Make it about character and about being a good sport, not about winning and making money.

By the way, a few bad apples DONT spoil the whole bunch. There are a lot of terrific college and pro athletes, coaches, refs, etc that do a lot of good things and are very good role models.

 

[Nords]

I think we're getting exactly what we want.

I think we're getting exactly what we keep paying for...