I'm actually exhausted. And sore. My muscles hurt. The good hurt...but nonetheless.
Also, it's 10:30 and I have to be up at 5. But I'm sitting here writing this because I'm angry.
Why am I angry? I'm scrolling through twitter, simultaneously having heart attacks over both the Rangers and Canucks games when a tweet comes across.
"Marcus Mariota received a speeding ticket this weekend."
It has several thousand retweets. The story is the top story on the CFB ESPN page.
Now excuse my language, but...
WHO. GIVES. A. SHIT?
Seriously? Who cares? Yeah 80 in a 55 is dangerous but, and this may just be because I'm a Texan, it is NOT uncommon to see someone going 25 over.
Heck, I've been pulled over twice in one day for almost 20 over. (I was ready to be done with my road trip.) And it wasn't freaking national news.
He got a ticket, as he should have. I'm sure that cop lectured him, followed by some variation of "go ducks," and I'm sure his parents had a word of two with him. Heck, I'm sure he even got an earful from his coach. BUT THE NATIONAL MEDIA?
Like, when did this become a market? Why are sports programs becoming more like E! News and TMZ rather than telling me about SPORTS.
WHY DO WE CARE?
Tonight, I'm watching the Rockets, (I still don't like you Les or Daryl), and I hear the announcers talking about Dwight Howard being accused of child abuse... while a play is folding out on the court.
So I look up the story. His baby mama is accusing him of child abuse for spanking his son with a belt.
1. It's called discipline. Ask me how many times my parents had to come at me with a belt. Once. Because I learned my lesson. Yeah I screamed bloody murder. Did it hurt me? For a minute. Did I behave like I was supposed to 98% of the time. YES.
2. REFER TO #1 AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL YOU GET IT.
*steps off soapbox*
But this is a conversation going on literally in the middle of a game.
I.DO.NOT.CARE.ABOUT.HIS.PERSONAL.LIFE.I.AM.WATCHING.BASKETBALL.
Unless you are telling me about how he is helping out in the community, during a break, I don't care.
I DONT CARE.
(Have I said that enough?)
At the end of the day, my boss cares about my performance at work. She may ask me how my personal life is going, because on some level we are friends and not just coworkers, but she does not then turn around and broadcast that to everyone around us. She does not send it out in a company email, or post about it on her Facebook. Why? BECAUSE IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY JOB.
Do you know what I want to hear when I turn on ESPN? CBS Sports? Any other major sports network?
Analysis. I want to know what it is in Kershaw's pitch sequencing, his delivery, that makes him so damn good. I wanna know how the changes to goalie pads are affecting scores. How the new rules are changing the game. How football players are making improvements. Why certain offensive lines can give their quarterback so much time.
Why does that team that looks so mediocre on paper play so well together?
Heck, just tell me whats going on. Make predictions. Tell me so and so has a case of the yips. I can't watch every sports game I want to. Theres not enough space on my wall for that many TV's and my brain probably couldn't handle the overload. But for the love of everything stop turning my sports into gossip hours.
Stop making these people's job a 24/7 thing. You think there's not enough pressure to be perfect on the field? Now they have to be flawless human beings off the field?
If I really want to know what's going on with Mariota, or any athlete's personal life, I'll follow them on twitter and let them tell me.
XOXO
p.s. if we STOP clicking on stories like these above, and stop giving them an audience to talk to...we could have our normal sports channel back. (I'm hopelessly optimistic)
