Sports

Just to stay consistent with the mood of the season, watched The Happening last night which sufficiently creeped me out and held my attention, however it didn't truly impress me either if that makes sense.  Let's have a quick discussion regarding the work of one, M. Night Shyamalan.  I'll post my thoughts next week.

My apologies for this post being a day or two late, I've been lazy and I procrastinate.

So let's talk about sports, more specifically, sports in America.  Now, as many of you know, football is my favorite sport - I view it as a physical chess game where not all the pieces are equally matched, but either way you have to play to your strengths.  There are good days and bad days, and in my mind - it's the only truly team sport.  The defense cannot win without a solid offense, and the offense cannot win without a sufficient defense and each player has their place.  It's the modern sport for the post-industrialism era as specialization is key.

That being said, I have a great respect for baseball, which I'm afraid has truly been replaced by football as the American pasttime, but in the meantime, it still holds strong as a worthy sport all its own.  I think I respect baseball the most because it's so easy to just turn on and watch - I hardly follow baseball, but if a game is on, I have no problem sitting down and taking in a couple hours (especially now in the playoffs as it all seems somewhat relevant).  Baseball is a simple game to understand, whereas football - I was a fan for the longest time and I had no idea what ninety percent of what the broadcasters said meant.  Now, of course, after following football relgiously, and studying for no apparent reason - I could probably top some of those announcers (especially the D-class wannabes they get to broadcast the Lions games...it's Calvin Johnson, not Curtis Johnson and #29 is Chester Taylor, not AP...how hard is your job?).  The point is, someone who has no concept of football cannot sit down and watch a game without...well, completely losing all grasp on what's going on.  This is probably my greatest argument as to why the sport hasn't caught on worldwide...nobody understands it.  How on Earth did these rules even come to exist?

Enough of that - of the remaining two major sports, Hockey and Basketball, I think we find two sports heading in different directions.  Hockey is on the rise - after the strike, hockey saw a major drop in fan base and ratings, and at the moment, it's not particularly easy to find a game anyone on cable television - but with the Red Wings (perennial favorites) and a few camera friendly faces (Crosby in Pittsburgh), the sport is catching some ground again.  In addition, the yearly outdoor game (this year at Wrigley - I'll go if anyone has tickets), adds a fun element to the game that people can really get behind.  On the other side of the spectrum is Basketball.  After enjoying an early 90s peak in interest, the sport has slowly declined in past years and is probably the most effected by the downturn in the economy.  The Celtics played the Lakers in the finals this past season, arguably two of the largest basketball dominated markets in the nation and hardly anyone cared...that's a problem.  When I look at the NBA right now, I see a league without an identity - no niche in the national sports world.  The Olympic team going out and hitting gold helps, but it's a minor boost - nothing sustainable.  Add into this the increased popularity of the sport in other nations worldwide, who can now afford to outbid our stars who are locked in a salary cap league well...you get the idea.

So that's a quick rundown of sports in the eyes of Nathan - opinions appreciated.  I'm tired so I'm out - ta.