The Choice is Yours

Less than 100 days to go, and I've never been happier to not be paying attention to sports. I still miss watching sports, but The Offseason has shown me that watching and paying attention are two very different things. When my year is up, I will have to make a decision about watching sports, but you can count on me to budget my actual attention elsewhere.

You don't need an amateur blog to tell you that there is a lot going on in the world right now. Still, it seems like there are some major things happening that could determine what the next couple of decades will look and feel like. Many of these things are in the headlines. Climate change is manifesting in more and more concrete ways, offering up tornados in CT and MA on consecutive days (I was in each state at the time, btw). The lives of refugee children who have come to America are being debated, putting them at even more risk. And, there is a major piece of legislation that could change the Internet in very profound ways which few people seem to be showing much interest in.

Despite all these huge problems which are directly relevant to our day to day lives, and a whole host of others that could easily have huge effects on the world in the long term (Gaza, Ukraine, etc.), the Boston media are obsessed with one story above all else - some asinine comments that a daytime radio host made about a sportscaster on ESPN. Think about that for a second. Does any part of that sentence involve someone scoring a touchdown? Or hitting a home run? Does it even have to do with something tangentially involved with sports, like a coaching move, or a free agent signing? Clearly not. This is a person who makes their living off the attention we pay to sports talking about another person who does the same thing. Now the story is about them! How is that possibly worth a modicum of your valuable attention?

I will concede that the controversy in question is steeped in misogyny and slander and the consequences of one's actions, but honestly, this is a conversation that belongs in an HR office. Not on the air, and certainly not on the front page of the Globe. Right now, there is a headline on boston.com that asks when a responsible male sports media voice will come forward. I would offer this advice to the author and any concerned readers; don't hold your breath. I used to be a devout listener of sports radio. Morning, noon, and night I had it on, fearful of missing a good argument or of being the last to find out about a big trade. At a certain point, I let it all go, and I can't tell you how much it improved my enjoyment of sports. I was finally free from having to worry about all the gnashing of teeth around a pitcher imploding or a missed shot. A win was a win and a loss was a loss. Truly, as long as I kept "you can't win ’em all" on my mind, I was covered.

Maybe I should have learned this lesson right then and there, but it took me until now to realize that sports really isn't worth the attention it sometimes costs. It should be about the games, and the plays, not about the announcers, or even the contracts. Even back before The Offseason, the surest way to get me to leave a sports discussion was to start bringing up contracts and trades. It's secondary filler. It's spam. The games are where it's at. And that ought to be enough.

I'm excited to see the Patriots play again soon. I'm excited to watch a Lakers Celtics game. I'm hopeful that the World Series goes to Halloween so I can catch a baseball game before next season, but if it doesn't, I'll be fine. But I envy you all. You have a choice right now. You can take your attention and budget and spend it as you wish. You can try and have an impact on the world around you, or you can look to sports media for lessons on morality. It's entirely up to you.

Every Four Years

I'm not sure just when they will be playing, but sometime in the next week two big things will be decided. The final match of the month long World Cup tournament will crown a champion, but more importantly, it may be telling me where my next big vacation will be.

Just about eight years ago, my wife and I wandered the streets of Boston's North End looking for a good view. It was hard to navigate, because everywhere you looked there were people. This is true just about any weekend you'd care to visit, but it was different that day. The steamy summer afternoon saw people not just cramming the sidewalks of Hanover Street, but lining up 12 or 13 people deep into the road. Driving through was simply not an option due to the sea of humanity, many of whom sported the deep, royal blue colors of Italy's national football club. It was the final of the World Cup in 2006 and Italy was battling France for the title.

Boston does not have the biggest Little Italy in the US, but many folks think it is among the most authentic. As someone who has spent a small amount of time in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, and a ton of time in the North End, I would not argue the point. I'm sure the scene in Boston was repeated in many US cities, to say nothing of the streets in Italy herself, but this was where we were, and this certainly felt special. 

The match was a tense one, and every slight advantage the Italians could muster sent ripples of energy and excitement through the crowds. Restaurants along the street had obliged us by setting up televisions with the best angle for the throngs of people trying to see the action. Just a few blocks away, the Mayor had set up a gigantic television to broadcast the game for the public in Government Center (itself a soulless, if noble attempt to recreate central Italian piazzas from walled cities like Siena or Florence). Maybe the French fans were congregated there, but those of us pulling for Italy knew where to be.

Italy would triumph, of course, and four years later, as the World Cup opened again in South Africa, my wife and I found ourselves in Italy. We saw little soccer, but it was one of the great trips of our lives. Anytime you would like to come over and view the 1147 photos we took, we'd be happy to show them. Sadly, Italy was eliminated quickly from their attempt to defend their title, and a new champion was crowned. That year, for the first time, Spain won the Cup.

Obviously, I have not seen much of this years' event thanks to this project. We were home as the tournament opened, but we have just returned from a trip abroad. We spent 10 days in the beautiful country of Spain. I'm afraid we may be a bit of a curse as Spain were eliminated in much the same manner as Italy four years before. Another similarity is that our trip was spectacular. Note the new icon for this project (and thanks for the suggestion, Peter).

As I understand it, our next big trip seems as if it will be to Argentina or Germany. Hard to say for sure which one I am pulling more for. I've had some great times in Germany, but South America is a place to which I've never been. Might be fun!

One more thing about the final that I couldn't help but notice was this great story. I love the quote about Popes being "above this sort of thing." What does that say about me?

Oh, and by the way, we broke our own record with just over 1300 pictures taken in Spain. Bring a bottle of something nice, will ya?