Sports

Why do we like sports? Why do we get our heart rates going, scream at televisions, and verbally abuse our rival teams? Why do sports matter? I guess the reason why I am asking is to figure out if being a fan actually matters at all. Why should I care about 22 guys on a field kicking a sphere between some poles? I would argue it is because sports are about everything else attached to the game, not the game itself.

Every fan has a reason why they love the game. Maybe you played, maybe your family did, or maybe you just grew up with it. Regardless of the reason, sports and games exist in every culture around the world. They are a release. Sports provide us with something more than the reality that is around us. For 90 minutes while the ball is kicked around the pitch, you can forget about your lack of a job, your trouble with your wife, or even the fact that your life is completely in the shitter. Staring into the screen and watching your team score a goal can make you feel ten feet tall and weightless, as you scream your favorite player’s name at the top of your lungs. We watch sports to get away. Sports are a change of pace. Even when we as a culture attach outside meanings to games, they still provide us with a way to look away from something we don’t want to see. Sometimes all we need is a place to scream about how we hate the world around us. Sometimes you need the Miracle on Ice or the Hand of God.

The game is not always the same from culture to culture. Football is by far the world’s most popular game, but not every person on the planet plays it. Even more important, not everyone shares a common fervor for the beautiful game. The game is not the important part though, what you feel when you watch it is. Being a fan is about the rush you feel on game day, even if you have never set foot in the country where the game is being played. People all over the world through their things into cramped vehicles and take pilgrimages to their castles the world over. For every man, woman, and child, those temples, those cathedrals, will stand forever in their memories. From Wembley to Yankee Stadium, the end result is the same. Our castles exist to protect us. Our castles exist to help us escape from the armies that wait on the outside. I call on you to build your castle, regardless of where it is. Embark on your journey and eventually you will find your home.

F@#% Yeah!

Today we are going to talk about something very near and dear to me, cursing. This universal form of dramatic expression has been used for thousands of years. Almost every society has had words that have been labeled as taboo. Curse words are used to express a large slew of emotions and in all different forms of speech. Curse words are also used by most adults and often with those are even younger. They can be found in movies and even in everyday conversations. So the question is, if cursing is so frequent and ubiquitous, why do we get angry when we see and hear athletes curse?

What has brought this issue to the forefront in these current times is the current buzz surrounding Wayne Rooney’s conduct at West Ham last week. Following Rooney’s third goal he was caught at the end of his celebration shouting the “F-word” at the camera. The 25-year-old striker is now being investigated by the FA and is facing a two game suspension for “offensive, insulting and/or abusive language.” In my opinion this ruling is excessive and unfair.



Cursing occurs in a large amount of Premier League games. I personally have seen numerous occasions where the players can be seen cursing at the official for making calls they did not agree with. Why are these players not punished and Rooney is? Why does the cameraman deserve more respect than the official? To this, the argument can be made that he isn’t being disciplined for cursing at the cameraman; he is being disciplined for doing it at the camera and that way in turn at the fans watching at home. I don’t think this is the case. Watching the clip it seems that Rooney becomes annoyed with having the camera so close to him and chooses to let the cameraman know how he feels. The only difference between what Rooney did, and being able to read the lips of a player shouting “F#$% OFF!” at an official is audio. Everyone can tell what the player said. So why is Rooney being punished when this is a common occurrence?

Publicity and image are the reason. I personally have a few choice words for how I feel about that arrangement. Cursing is a regular occurrence in both sports and society. Who cares if a player curses on TV during a game? It doesn’t matter and it is people becoming concerned for the sake of keeping up appearances. In closing I will say this to the FA. If you want to sanction players for every time they are seen cursing on TV. Be my guest, but you will quickly run out of players. If you are not willing to enforce the rule without being selective, my suggestion is that that you shut the fuck up. Thanks, and goodnight.

Sleeping Through Games

Around the world most sporting events do not start until at least noon. The reason for this can be found in when will a sports team be able to get the largest number of supports to turn out and watch a match. If sport organizers want to get the highest number of television viewers, those games are usually shown at night when the highest volume of viewers will be able to watch. These “primetime” games are usually the biggest and most highly anticipated. But what happens when you want to follow a sport and the games are at six in the morning?

The Barclay’s Premier league plays most of its games on Saturdays and Sundays. On these days the first games are at around noon and second games take place later in the afternoon. The problem for a fan following the United States comes with the time difference. Most fans of sports have regular jobs that they have to work. With working everyday during the week, weekends are seen as a chance to rest and for most, sleep in. How well does sleeping in mix with having to wake up at 7am to cheer for your club. Coming from someone who has had to do it after a long week, it is never easy.

The trill of watching Manchester United play the derby match against Manchester City and seeing Wayne Rooney’s beautiful bicycle kick sadly was overshadowed by how tired I was. Waking up so early to follow a team makes being a fan a little harder. American Football fans don’t have to worry about waking up at the earliest hours to actually watch the game. Waking up early to party or to tailgate is one thing, but waking up so early to watch a sporting event is not something that would help a sport’s popularity.

I think that in order for Soccer to succeed in America, Major League Soccer has to achieve a large amount of popularity. When trying to bring fans over to a new sport, making the fans have to wake up at very early hours in the morning to watch the best levels of competition. Only well established fans are going to wake up to watch those games. Until that occurs in the United States, it will be hard to bring new fans to the sport due to the MLS’s low level of competition. But Rome wasn’t built in a day and until it is complete we will continue waking up at 7am to place another brick on the foundation.