When is enough enough?

I don't consider myself to be naive.  I know that it is nearly impossible to live a life that isn't somehow, in someway, supporting something that isn't purely good.  In fact, I don't think there is much in this world that could make the mark of "100% good - no side effects!"  A long time ago when we lived in Spain we knew of a guy that would not eat or buy anything in any establishment that sold alcohol.  In Spain, that pretty much meant that you NEVER went out to eat.  Even McDonald's sold beer.

But when do you say, "Enough is enough.  I can't support this anymore"?  It is the struggle that I've been having as of late with sports in general, but more specifically professional/college sports, and even more specifically football.  I'm reaching a point where I'm not sure I'm comfortable supporting it anymore, and I don't know what is the next step to take.

I could list a whole litany of stories from the past year or two about player misconduct, but there is so much more to it than that.  This is another issue that could fill a book if I took the time to fully explore all the thoughts that swirl through my head in regards to this issue.  This blog post will only scratch the surface, and this is the point where it probably gets discombobulated.  Hold on to your hats.

Using public money to fund stadiums, ridiculous ticket prices (and those two coupled together which limits access to the wealthy; not a good use of public money), idolized sports stars, outrageous salaries, privileged access, fraudulent college activity, win at all cost, violence, overlooking misconduct, the lie of education, weekends that revolve around sports, fan-dom, posses, sexism, the lie of player health…. where do I stop?

Oddly enough, I have been getting Sports Illustrated for the past year or so.  I'm not sure why, since I usually spend about 5-10 minutes flipping through it before I toss it in the recycle bin.  But I actually read an article in this week's issue, part one of a five-part investigative report on the Oklahoma State University football program.  The cover reads, "The Dirty Game: Sex, Drugs, Cash, Fraud, Whatever it Takes."  I wish I could say that it surprised me, but it didn't.  It just confirms some things that I've always assumed were happening in MANY Division I football programs.  I don't doubt that it happens in other sports too.  I wasn't surprised, but it still bothered me.  I know we've argued about all of this in the past, and I know we will continue to argue about it in the future.  I was wrong years ago when I "declared" (see previous blog) that nothing good comes out of college sports.  I know that's not true.  But there's just too much crap that comes with it.  

I can't help but get a little disheartened when people can talk for two hours about the latest NFL power rankings but they can't locate Syria on a map.  I wonder what it says about our culture when we know RGIII's stat line from Sunday but we don't know who are the Secretaries of State or Defense.  We are concerned enough about a college football playoff system to hold congressional hearings about it, but no one wants to talk about doctor shortages or shrinking education budgets.  ESPN alone will make $10 billion in 2013, and the total of federal spending for education in 2013 will be approximately $98 billion.  For me, sports has climbed way too high on the priority scale, and it's because we have placed it there.  

I'm not saying that I'm going to totally walk away from sports.  I was talking this through with Jennifer and I was thinking of things like fantasy basketball, for example, which I REALLY enjoy.  I wonder if I could actually walk away from stuff like that.  Even as I've been writing this blog, I flipped over to my Yahoo page a couple of times to check some scores (although I rarely watch sports on TV anymore).  But the truth is that I'm not so much into professional or college sports that it would be hard to walk away altogether.  I hardly ever watch pro sports on TV, and college - well, I never watch college sports on TV.  I don't watch ESPN anymore, and I haven't listened to the ATH podcast for a long time.  It's just not a big part of my life.  Maybe that's why it seems easy to walk away.

Jennifer cautioned me on writing on this topic because she thought it would come off as very judgmental of people that ARE really into sports, including some huge Iowa Hawkeye fans in the family.  Please don't misunderstand me - I'm not trying to sell this as something that everyone should do.  It's a personal choice that I'm considering and I'm not hoping to carry everyone that I know with me.  Have you ever known those vegetarians that look down their nose at you with judging eyes as you are trying to enjoy your hamburger?  Yeah, that sucks.  But I also know vegetarians that do it as a personal choice and have no problem with others who choose to eat meat.  That's kind of where I'm coming from on this.  It's just me.

Am I crazy?  Am I just a victim of the media and what they choose to focus on?  Why does it bother me so much that LeBron James received a police escort so that he could get to the JayZ/Kanye West concert on time?  Is it ridiculous for me to hope that the pastor can make it through a sermon during football season WITHOUT a Chargers reference?  

I'm on the edge, about ready to jump.  Who wants to talk me off the ledge?