Sports.....What Have We Done?

[BigFish]

Performance enhancing drugs, gambling on games, videotaping against league rules.......at what price victory? Sports has really gone in the dumper!! When most of us were kids it was all about what was going on between the lines......no contract squabbles, off the field drug use, arrests, gun and drug possession, spousal abuse, drunk driving, holdouts, demanding to renegotiate contracts.........man sports is really s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g bigtime and I for one have just about had enough! M-O-N-E-Y has really ruined the essence of sports.......people will do or take just about anything to enhance their careers, lengthen their careers......no pride anymore just "show me the money"! Football has been my last vestige of sports enjoyment and now I am losing that! The Pats lose the Superbowl and now its not just for the simple fact that they got beat......but the sports talk shows spend hours/days/weeks looking for scapegoats and reasons why????

Carry on.....needed to vent!

[Backbeach Jake]

I have the reason why. Finish this quote for me " On any given Sunday ---"

[Raven]

i think the whole country should be on enhanced nutritional supplements
,glacier water , seaweed , royal jelly, whey protein
and mega doses of vitamins - so we are all kickin some ass...

so i always cringe when i hear about nutritional sports restrictions...period

but BF in reference to your post...

what has bothered me the most has been the parents attitudes
towards sports perfection (the Belechick syndrome) in their children
and the degree of insanity
that is sometimes displayed over it...

combined with the lack of interest in nature activities or fishing
(as a sport too) instead of just buying electronic gaming JUNK

additional commentary to back up my statement from CNN

quote: The replacement of vigorous outdoor activities by sedentary, indoor videophilia has far-reaching consequences for physical and mental health, especially in children," Pergams said in a statement. "Videophilia has been shown to be a cause of obesity, lack of socialization, attention disorders and poor academic performance."

[Raider Ronnie]

$$$ has ruined sports!

[The Dad Fisherman]

hate to break it to you Larry but even before any of us were even a gleam in our Daddy's eyes, Sports was Always full of Gambling, Booze, Womanizing....and its also Always been about Money.

its just the fact that when you were a kid you didn't spend as much time watching the news, reading the paper, surfing the web........and talking about it at work (mainly because you were still in school).

[Mike P]

Did you know that Babe Ruth once was criticized because his salary was higher than President Hoover's? His answer to the criticism was, "I had a better year than he did".

Stuff like this has gone on forever, Larry. Human nature doesn't change. The difference was, sports writers were part of the biggest old boys club going and they had a gentleman's agreement with baseball to keep the dirty laundry in the hamper.

The same was true of the press in general. FDR had a mistress, Ike had a mistress, and JFK had a whole stable. No one ever knew it then--it was all swept under the rug. Instead, you got those front page photos of JFK walking out of St. Xavier's church in Hyannis, missal in one hand, Jackie's hand in the other.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Theres a series of books out called the Baseball Hall of Shame....lots of stories from all the decades past that weren't exactly baseball's proudest moments

[EarnedStripes44]

Human nature indeed...

[ProfessorM]

Exactly, what makes you think athletes are any different than any non athletes. Same problems, addictions, ethics, as any Joe Q. Public. Just that they have a press corp following them most of the time.

[BassDawg]

Ain't nuthin' new, my bruddah!

the MLB teams of yesteryear had greenies and beer.
Hell, there was a time when Ironworkers did rails on the beams, and coffee breaks were mollies breaks, and everyone was having hops and barley sandwiches for lunch.

i'm for HGH as the new cortisone shot! Carefully and strictly monitored, made available to all for medicinal purposes only, what's the big whoop? If it can help all MLB and can be used to rebound quicker and stronger from a hammie or an acl, then why not allow it for ALL teams?

And it is, SADLY, about the money!
Look what the money factor did to our Stripers in the 80's???
SUX! But for some folks, the call of the dollar is greater than the Call of The Almighty Himself!
And that's what often separates the best of the best.............in all walks of Life.

Is any job on this planet worth 25, even 20, million dollars a year to be paid to a single individual for playing a sport? And now we are getting into the whole Capitalism argument, but MLB sort of creates this dynamic with their refusal to implement a Salary Cap. It worked for the NFL, and i am very curious how this would effect MLB ~~the whole luxury tax dogbone/trickle down effect is a farce!!

To whom do you answer, or who is your Master?
".......No man can serve two masters..........we all must choose!"