Happy Easter my fellow Observers! With one of the holiest holidays almost upon us in a few hours I decided that this weeks subject should be based on something that brings us all closer to each other. Something that although fragmented by personal choice, we can all come together in unison to achieve a common goal. That fundamentally separates our ideals by region, but allows us to be accepted as individuals and not outsiders. Something where race has no meaning and actually enhances the love we share about it. Of course I'm talking about sports.
Forget religion when it comes to individual choice creating unity, but look to sports of any kind and you'll find it common place. Where else can you choose whatever path you want to follow and be able to join a group that will not judge you for the choice you made.... Well..... Maybe in New York... ...wearing an opposing team's jersey.... on the home team side of the field.... yeah.....you'll probably have an issue. Other than that, acceptance is pretty much the norm. It certainly is not the case when it comes to religion. You also won't find consistency within the spiritual ranks, but you will find it in sports. Especially when it comes to things like drug abuse, domestic violence, illegal gambling, assault, DUI, and murder just to name a few from the secular highlight reels.
Bill Klem, considered to be the "Father of Baseball Umpires", was quoted saying that "To me, baseball is not a game, it's a religion.". And it seems to me that more people follow religiously advocated practices within the sports world than they do within the religions themselves. It poses the question why people would be more tolerant of others when it comes to sport rivalries than they do other religions or races. Especially when we look at how these "athletes" act on the field and off. The message that these players and organizations relay to their fans is just as horrendous as the actions of Catholic priests. But yet we still watch and root for our favorites. Beat up your girlfriend ?..... That's OK.... she probably deserved it..... you can still play on Sunday..... and by the way, she wants to marry you. Drive drunk and kill your teammate?....Well....It was an accident..... you didn't mean it.... All right you still have your job. Take steroids to enhance your performance?..... No big deal.... we'll just put an asterisk next to your name in the sports almanac. Smoke pot, take Adderal, have racist or offensive tattoos, engage in dogfighting, or eat a protein bar that's not on the approved list?....hmmmm.....let me think....you might have to sit out a game, race or fight.... maybe two. Get arrested for murdering someone in an industrial complex parking lot?...OK......we'll have to draw the line there and let you go..... but let us know if your acquitted.... maybe we can work something out. Personally I'd rather have Jim Baker swindle me or Jimmy Swaggert use church money to hire several prostitutes or..... Oh wait..... they did. But what is the difference between them and the sport franchises accused of cheating, gambling, game rigging, fixes, financial corruption and turning blind eyes to other player and owner illegal behavior. Yes, my loyal reader, these are the individuals a lot of parents want heir children, if not themselves, to look up to. Want them to be like and emulate. I have a better idea for these "jock straps" impersonating parents. Have your kids watch America's Most Wanted, Cops or Jail for that hard to find role model material. It has a lot more coverage on a daily basis and you'll save a few bucks by not having to buy into all that sport marketing hype.... you know... tickets, team jerseys, big foam fingers.... stuff like that.
And then there is the ever watchful eye of the leagues. MLB, NBA, NFL, NASCAR, WBA, MLS, WNBA....ETC....ETC. Everyone of these organizations have shown time and time again that the letters in their acronyms are interchangeable when it comes to their response to player or owner misconduct. The generic sound byte quote has been and probably always will be, "We are launching an independent investigation into the allegations of (insert your crime here) and we will scrutinize the outcome without prejudice and take appropriate action.". And me without my waders and shovel again. Investigation?.... Into What? How much cash they'll lose to bad press? How to contain the media coverage? What kind of damage control will we use? And who exactly is conducting these investigations? Clouseau? Gadget? The Keystone Cops? It makes you wonder what is the bigger joke? The "investigation" or the organization thinking that we actually believe there is a legitimate investigation.
We can, of course, always count on the media to pick up whatever "dirty" ball that whatever league fumbled and run with it until the story drops dead from redundancy and over reporting. Like a crappy pop song we can't seem to pry from our heads, who can forget the names sport sandals have been given by the respected media? Biogenesis Scandal, The Festina Affair, The Horse Murders, The Gatorade Duel Scandal, Operation Slapshot, and of course all the "Gates". Deflategate, Bloodgate, Grannygate, Spygate 1 & 2, Bountygate, Tigergate, and of course who could forget Tioletgate? Who would have thought that the Watergate Hotel scandal in 1972 would coin so many phrases 43 years later? Now that's consistency!
As most of you that have followed me for any length of time will know, I would probably be regarded as more of a sports fan than that of religion. However, regardless of my views, I do believe that both institutions preach their values from the very same pulpit. Both religion and sports promote physical and spiritual cleanliness. Both support wholesome family values, denounce the use of drugs and alcohol. Both abhor racism, violence and lying. Each would have you look to them as role models and both try to present an infallible image. The problem is that both also fail miserably at any and all tasks they undertake. Although I have been focusing on the sport scandal side, the truth is that religion has just as many scandals (maybe more) and just as bad (maybe worse). And there in lies the troublesome difference. If you really look hard at both, you realize that sports are merely a form of entertainment, nothing more, and should be regarded as such...... entertainment. Religion, on the other hand, has the audacity and arrogance to instruct people how to live their lives. And quite a few of their members have the gall to judge others when someone in their "flock" commits a unfavorable transgression against their values. I've always thought that the word "flock" is actually a perfect euphemism for a congregation...... Herd is another, but isn't used at all. I guess that people are more comfortable being considered a "flock" when it comes to faith. "Herd" suggests following a leader blindly into the unknown. They don't seem to like that analogy...... weird, huh? If given the choice between religion and sports, I would rather follow a sports team with all their flaws than a religion that denies having any. Strictly an Observation. If you'll excuse me, I have some eggs to color.
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