http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com

 

 

 

 

Any adult involved in sports 'is an idiot'

 

Dennis Thompsett

Editorial - Thursday, August 31, 2006 @ 08:00

 

Owen Sound is a sports town. Dissing sports here is like dissing the Queen - or maybe worse. But I'm not going to let that stop me.

 

Because, here's the thing: I hate sports. To be painfully honest, I think that anyone who is involved in sports as an adult is an idiot. And anyone who pays to watch these adults play, even more so.

 

When we were kids, I lived at the end of 5th Avenue, up on the east hill. We occasionally played baseball out on the road in summer and hockey without skates in winter. The road ended right in front of our house. We were never interrupted by cars, so it was a perfect place to play. But we were kids then. When we got over 10, we never played again.

 

That's the way it should be.

 

Unless you're 10 years old, all sports are foolish. Professional sports are the worst.

 

Here we have an entire industry of steroid-enhanced mutants playing children's games and an even larger flock of rabid fans who slavishly pay big money, that they can ill afford, to watch them do it. var gnEbMinZIndex = 10000; var gfEbInIframe = false; var gEbBAd = new Object(); gEbBAd.nFlightID = 142568; gEbBAd.nWidth = 300; gEbBAd.nHeight = 250; gEbBAd.nDownloadMode = 3; //Interactions var gEbInteractions='['+escape('_eyeblaster')+','+escape('http://network.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/Osprey-Media/ron/roc/ss/[PAGE]/643045381/x18/247Canada/2006-488-MicrosoftSQL-Wired-Box/2006-488-Wired-Box.html/34343132333838353434656362643530?')+','+']'; var gstrEbRandnum = new String(Math.random()); gstrEbRandnum = gstrEbRandnum.substring(gstrEbRandnum.indexOf(".")+1 , gstrEbRandnum.length); gEbBAd.strNonSupported = "http://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/NonSupportedBanner.asp?FlightID=142568&Page=&PluID=0&Width=300&Height=250&Pos=" + gstrEbRandnum + "&ebSiteClick="+escape('http://network.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/Osprey-Media/ron/roc/ss/[PAGE]/643045381/x18/247Canada/2006-488-MicrosoftSQL-Wired-Box/2006-488-Wired-Box.html/34343132333838353434656362643530?');

 

 

What would it cost to take your son and go to Toronto to see a professional baseball or hockey game? We're talking gas and parking and tickets and a couple of hot dogs and pop. Could you do it for less than $200? I think not.

 

Are you nuts?

 

Or maybe you get some sports channels on cable or, perish the thought, buy a couple of pay-per-view events. How much does that set you back?

 

Think of it: All that, to watch a game best played for fun by the under-10 set.

 

We used to play Hide and Seek and Tag, too. Would you pay $200 to watch a game of tag? Or the world series of Hide and Seek? Get a grip.

 

You've been hornswoggled.

 

Most sports started out in exclusive private boarding schools as a way to drain the energy of rambunctious boys. These games continued, much like tennis, as an amusement for the idle rich and the aristocracy. And today, over 100 years later, nothing much has changed.

 

Sports remains the province of the idle rich. Rich guys own the teams. They're sort of like toys to them. So you spend your valuable time and money to watch rich guys play with their toys. Not only that, but you usually pay to build the stadium where the rich guys play.

 

As they take your money, they're laughing at you.

 

And here's the real joke. You know how those Eastern European hockey players or those South American baseball players make all those millions? Well, imagine how much the rich team owner makes in order to pay them that much? Well, he makes it all from you, the loyal fan.

 

And when you run around with the team jersey or the team hat or the team bumper sticker, you are paying through the nose to advertise for that very same rich guy.

 

What's with you, anyway?

 

Let's face it: The old argument about sports building character simply isn't true. If recent news is any indication, what it develops is the urge to cheat in school and in your sport. It develops illegal drug use. It develops aggression, the need to win at any cost, and God knows what else. And these are our heroes?

 

Good sportsmanship nowadays means you win, because you were "gooder" than the other guys. If you lose, of course, then you head butt. You throw your racket. You trash your locker room. You cry like a baby.

 

The foundation of sports used to always be: "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." But if that's true, why do they bother keeping score?

 

Dennis Thompsett's column appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"You've been hornswoggled."

 

I stopped reading there.

does dennis thompsett have email? might need to drop him a note.

Stay tuned for his next article; Anyone Who Owns A Car "Is Retarded"

Stay tuned for his next article; Anyone Who Owns A Car "Is Retarded"

 

hahah that was funny.

 

 

seriously stupid canadians

:patriot

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com

 

 

 

 

Any adult involved in sports 'is an idiot'

 

Dennis Thompsett

Editorial - Thursday, August 31, 2006 @ 08:00

 

Owen Sound is a sports town. Dissing sports here is like dissing the Queen - or maybe worse. But I'm not going to let that stop me.

 

Because, here's the thing: I hate sports. To be painfully honest, I think that anyone who is involved in sports as an adult is an idiot. And anyone who pays to watch these adults play, even more so.

 

When we were kids, I lived at the end of 5th Avenue, up on the east hill. We occasionally played baseball out on the road in summer and hockey without skates in winter. The road ended right in front of our house. We were never interrupted by cars, so it was a perfect place to play. But we were kids then. When we got over 10, we never played again.

 

That's the way it should be.

 

Unless you're 10 years old, all sports are foolish. Professional sports are the worst.

 

Here we have an entire industry of steroid-enhanced mutants playing children's games and an even larger flock of rabid fans who slavishly pay big money, that they can ill afford, to watch them do it. var gnEbMinZIndex = 10000; var gfEbInIframe = false; var gEbBAd = new Object(); gEbBAd.nFlightID = 142568; gEbBAd.nWidth = 300; gEbBAd.nHeight = 250; gEbBAd.nDownloadMode = 3; //Interactions var gEbInteractions='['+escape('_eyeblaster')+','+escape('http://network.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/Osprey-Media/ron/roc/ss/[PAGE]/643045381/x18/247Canada/2006-488-MicrosoftSQL-Wired-Box/2006-488-Wired-Box.html/34343132333838353434656362643530?')+','+']'; var gstrEbRandnum = new String(Math.random()); gstrEbRandnum = gstrEbRandnum.substring(gstrEbRandnum.indexOf(".")+1 , gstrEbRandnum.length); gEbBAd.strNonSupported = "http://bs.serving-sys.com/BurstingPipe/NonSupportedBanner.asp?FlightID=142568&Page=&PluID=0&Width=300&Height=250&Pos=" + gstrEbRandnum + "&ebSiteClick="+escape('http://network.realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/Osprey-Media/ron/roc/ss/[PAGE]/643045381/x18/247Canada/2006-488-MicrosoftSQL-Wired-Box/2006-488-Wired-Box.html/34343132333838353434656362643530?');

 

 

What would it cost to take your son and go to Toronto to see a professional baseball or hockey game? We're talking gas and parking and tickets and a couple of hot dogs and pop. Could you do it for less than $200? I think not.

 

Are you nuts?

 

Or maybe you get some sports channels on cable or, perish the thought, buy a couple of pay-per-view events. How much does that set you back?

 

Think of it: All that, to watch a game best played for fun by the under-10 set.

 

We used to play Hide and Seek and Tag, too. Would you pay $200 to watch a game of tag? Or the world series of Hide and Seek? Get a grip.

 

You've been hornswoggled.

 

Most sports started out in exclusive private boarding schools as a way to drain the energy of rambunctious boys. These games continued, much like tennis, as an amusement for the idle rich and the aristocracy. And today, over 100 years later, nothing much has changed.

 

Sports remains the province of the idle rich. Rich guys own the teams. They're sort of like toys to them. So you spend your valuable time and money to watch rich guys play with their toys. Not only that, but you usually pay to build the stadium where the rich guys play.

 

As they take your money, they're laughing at you.

 

And here's the real joke. You know how those Eastern European hockey players or those South American baseball players make all those millions? Well, imagine how much the rich team owner makes in order to pay them that much? Well, he makes it all from you, the loyal fan.

 

And when you run around with the team jersey or the team hat or the team bumper sticker, you are paying through the nose to advertise for that very same rich guy.

 

What's with you, anyway?

 

Let's face it: The old argument about sports building character simply isn't true. If recent news is any indication, what it develops is the urge to cheat in school and in your sport. It develops illegal drug use. It develops aggression, the need to win at any cost, and God knows what else. And these are our heroes?

 

Good sportsmanship nowadays means you win, because you were "gooder" than the other guys. If you lose, of course, then you head butt. You throw your racket. You trash your locker room. You cry like a baby.

 

The foundation of sports used to always be: "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." But if that's true, why do they bother keeping score?

 

Dennis Thompsett's column appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Virgin.

"Unless you're 10 years old, all sports are foolish. Professional sports are the worst."

Worst statement ever :thumbdown

Translation...no one picked him in kickball

He's Canadian, I would expect nothing less. :mischief

this is the kind of guy who has never had a girlfriend and lives with his parents

this is the kind of guy who has never had a girlfriend and lives with his parents

 

 

I think you just insulted about 80% of this board.

 

So, it's either because A) he's Canadian (doesn't really hold water), B) he's a loser who wasn't picked for school sports, or C) he doesn't have a girlfriend and lives with his parents.

 

The article sucks, so what. He's entitled to his opinion. I can't believe you guys care enough to take offense. Why not man up and write to the paper he writes for if you feel so strongly about it, anyways.