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Olympics and Other Sports

The hype never ends. Now it is the Olympics in Utah. Before that, the Super Bowl, World Series, etc. ad nauseum. Who cares which individual, team, or country is “best”? I like sports, but the passion and intensity of the fans is a little bewildering and somewhat appalling. Have we completely forgotten what is important in the world?

Sports certainly provide fan entertainment for many people. In these troubling times we all need a way to forget our troubles for a while. Watching our favorite competitors in action certainly helps. But when the clock ends the event, should not the emotion of the fans end as well. After all, fans have no ownership of the competitors, no monetary interest unless they gamble, and above all, no personal involvement with the event. A little friendly competitiveness between fans is understandable and enjoyable, but fights and worse?

Should we not be more concerned about who found a new disease cure not who won the competition? Is not the discovery of a life saving surgical procedure more important than who is the Most Valuable Player? Should we not admire Mother Teresa more than an Olympic gold medal winner? NASCAR fans mourn the many who died in racing last year. Is the loss of those competitors any worse than your or my loss of a family member? Baseball fans go to court to prevent Major League Baseball from eliminating 2 teams in 2002. Could that money not better serve the needy better than players and fans playing a game?

While I will continue to enjoy the sports of my choice, I place the importance of who wins, and the participants low on my list of priorities. Certainly the trite old saying “it’s just a game” applies here. Sports are for entertainment, not for false reality of the fans.

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o. dell