luka

Well-known member
US sports culture @IdleRich

The organization’s attempt at censorship has only widened the wounds. During Monday night’s game, the Mavs showed fans on the jumbotron for the first time since the trade. Until then, they feared what fans would do when the cameras were on. During a karaoke montage, a fan mouthed “Fire Nico.” He was kicked out minutes later. Two other fans were kicked out after calling for Harrison’s firing and Cuban told them to “sit the fuck down”.
 

0bleak

Well-known member
It's amazing how much "Leave Bronny Alone" has almost become a meme. They also had that as a category on Black Jeopardy on SNL, along with Michael Che making jokes that he's going to do weekend update with his son, Bronny Che.

I've just never got why people get so overly emotionally invested in sports or how/why they give it so much meaning and importance.
I guess I just have never got how there are teams and players that people root for because it seems so random and given to chance and things like where you were born/being influenced by family/etc.
Why do I really care how well some random team with random players (that often aren't even from the area where the team is based), play a game?
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
It's amazing how much "Leave Bronny Alone" has almost become a meme. They also had that as a category on Black Jeopardy on SNL, along with Michael Che making jokes that he's going to do weekend update with his son, Bronny Che.

I've just never got why people get so overly emotionally invested in sports or how/why they give it so much meaning and importance.
I guess I just have never got how there are teams and players that people root for because it seems so random and given to chance and things like where you were born/being influenced by family/etc.
Why do I really care how well some random team with random players (that often aren't even from the area where the team is based), play a game?

Some people love music etc and hate sport

Some love sport and hate music... I mean they don't hate music but they like Bob Dylan or something so they might as well.

Those two tribes, they can never meet, never understand each other, there is no point explaining one to another, you might as well try and teach differential equations to your pet goldfish.

Occasionally a true renaissance man such as me or possibly arguably @vershy versh or just about @luka comes along and they truly get both and can bask in the beauty of the two cultures.

There is a third tribe, this is made up of people who talk about cars and argue about which 70s BMW had the best fuel consumption. This tribe is rightly despised by both of the above... it's literally impossible to be someone who knows more about cars than "Ferraris are better than Rovers right?" and be a serious person.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
When people ask you what car the murderer got away in and you say "it was a red one" people laugh but really they are the idiot.
 

0bleak

Well-known member
I don't hate sport.
I have watched games plenty of times, but those are genuine questions.
"I guess I just have never got how there are teams and players that people root for because it seems so random and given to chance and things like where you were born/being influenced by family/etc.
Why do I really care how well some random team with random players (that often aren't even from the area where the team is based), play a game?"
 

0bleak

Well-known member
OTOH, sport is responsible so much of my self-loathing and basically permanent damage to my psyche.
Imagine growing up with little to no motor skills and poor visual/spatial skills - you know how much pressure there is on boys and men to at least be minimally competent at sport. With my (unknown at the time) disability, it REALLY damaged me to have some harsh criticism and questioning if I was a proper boy or man.
Of course people probably wouldn't have done that if I had visible limb loss, instead of faulty brain connections that caused such poor motor skills and visual/spatial issues.
It basically caused me to crawl further and further inside myself, and totally hate myself.
I never really recovered from it, even after I was finally given a name for what I had when I was diagnosed at 29.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Yeah it's a reasonable question and of course that's why sone people retreat from megaclubs with prancing billionaires who probably can't even remember which country they are playing in in favour of lower league cloggers with more connections to their community.

For me there is a contradiction in that in one way the shitty five-a-side league in which I kick the ball around every Monday is real football and we all know it - but at the same time anyone in that league would happily sacrifice their right bollock for the opportunity to represent West Ham for the last two minutes of injury time cos that would be better.

For myself I was brought up to support Man Utd and I've supported them since I was four years old but these days i really feel only the mildest affinity to them and even in my most passionate moments I never cried myself to sleep when they lost.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Athletic Bilbao is the exception to the rule

The club is known for its cantera policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks, as well as recruiting players from other Basque clubs. Athletic's official policy is to sign players native to or trained in football in the greater Basque Country, which includes Biscay, Gipuzkoa, Álava and Navarre (in Spain), as well as Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre (in France). Since 1911, Athletic has played exclusively with players meeting its own criteria to be deemed Basque. It has gained Athletic both admirers and critics. The club has been praised for promoting home grown players and club loyalty.

One of the most successful clubs in Spain, it doesn't seem possible.
 

0bleak

Well-known member
Also, it does annoy me sometimes how some people (thinking about some people in my family) center the lives around it to such a degree that sports even become intertwined with other things and family traditions.
Like, how dare you assume that everyone else is interested in watching (american) football on thanksgiving.
 

kid charlemagne

Well-known member
It's amazing how much "Leave Bronny Alone" has almost become a meme. They also had that as a category on Black Jeopardy on SNL, along with Michael Che making jokes that he's going to do weekend update with his son, Bronny Che.

I've just never got why people get so overly emotionally invested in sports or how/why they give it so much meaning and importance.
I guess I just have never got how there are teams and players that people root for because it seems so random and given to chance and things like where you were born/being influenced by family/etc.
Why do I really care how well some random team with random players (that often aren't even from the area where the team is based), play a game?
michael che stupid loser "comedian" not as an ounce talented or worthwile or accomplished as lebron so no son of michael should be showing up on any type of tv show..... he should shut his mouth!
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
But on the other hand, when football completely sacrificed its locality or localnes or whatever the word is for being somehow linked to where you are based, the pay-off was that it reached undreampt of levels.

I'm about to watch Milan vs Feyenoord and I couldn't give a tinkers cuss who wins but I know I'll see play at a level that the 1970 Brazil side would have thought impossible.
 

0bleak

Well-known member
Might be surprising given how little attention I pay to sport, but even I kinda knew that.
Well, I'll put it another way, I know who Pele is (and prolly most Americans of a least a certain age know who he is), and I know that was the time period he was a player, so I was able to put 2 and 2 together.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Alongside Pelé were his teammates Félix, Carlos Alberto, Brito, Piazza, Everaldo, Clodoaldo, Gérson, Jairzinho, Tostão and Rivelino – known forever as the 'beautiful team' – the best ever to play the game.
 

0bleak

Well-known member
Also, as opposed to the typical view of Americans (which, fairly, would kind of apply to my dad's family, but even then that's not fair - my dad's side is also multiracial like my mom's side so it's not like they're just a bunch of culturally conservative white people), my mom's family, since her generation left Appalachia, are very worldly and very well traveled, and have even lived for extended times in other countries.
I'm just saying we don't all think we're the center of the world :)
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
How is this Luka trade working out so far? Is it true that wearing a shirt with his name is now banned at Mavs games?
 
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