Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Wonder Why Wednesday: There's Always Next Year

People love their sports.

Even those who profess to not care about them, or even claim to hate the very idea of sports, can be spurred to lose their minds about their home town winning whatever championship's season has just ended.

When I was in high school, I abhorred, yet secretly loved, sports. "Jocks," I'd spit contemptuously, sneering through my black kohl eyeliner toward whatever College (TM) yahoo was standing next to me in line for Cubs tickets.

We all play our part, mine was "perky malcontent". Mull that one over a moment and you'll see it fits pretty well.

I'm a complex kinda girl, but you knew that.

Today's Wonder...

Why all the sports nuttery?

I mean, we're talking about a billion-dollar industry here. We pay more to guys who run around bases, who PLAY A GAME for a living, than we do teachers and firemen.

It's sick, really, but we put up with it.

Is it that sports hearken back to our baser need to be better than someone else?

Is it even deeper, a need for war-like behavior in a safe setting? Nobody *likes* war, but we like winning a battle... I mean, what are the yells of cheerleaders if not war-cries?

It's a mystery.

What's even more mysterious is that we still root for our losing teams year after year, showing deep loyalty to our chosen champions, even when they're lovable losers.

I should know, I'm a Cubs fan. (I've adopted the Rockies, but the Cubs will always have my heart.)



Not a Sox fan. They suck.

My friend Christine doesn't believe me that you're either a Cubs fan or a Sox fan, and never both, but that's because she's from the West Side. If she was from the North Side, she'd understand.*

Don't believe me?

Attend a Crosstown Classic game sometime. You'll see.


Not an exaggeration

* The exception to the rule: North Siders who live in Wrigleyville, the neighborhood in which Wrigley Field is located - they hate the Cubs on principle. Imagine if the circus came to your neighborhood on a weekly basis... you'd grow to hate the circus real fast.

2 comments:

Dandy said...

OMG you have an exception to your rule, that is too funny.

I really don't know much about sports but I do like going to games and feeding off the adrenaline.

In high school I was on dance team. We performed at pre-game and half time and talked during the game :)

Jaime said...

Oh yeah; my friend Nova & her family lived spitting distance from Wrigley, and they just HATE the Cubs. It's understandable.

I definitely get into sports when I'm in attendance... on TV, not so much.