Thursday, August 13, 2009

Sports of all sorts.

Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino is under the gun after admitting to some sexual tryst with a harlot six years ago, then loaning her money for health care. I'm not concerned at all with the sex act or its implications. What I am concerned with is the level to which we as a society elevate these alleged misdeeds.
Every five minutes we hear or see an ad for something designed to give you an erection, make your erection last longer or enhance the size of your penis. Included in the ads are words that most adults wouldn't use around their school-aged kids, but there they are, blasted over the radio and TV.
Then, we are supposed to be incensed over a guy going out and "getting some." Whether he is married or not is his issue. The bigger issue is the way we promote sex and then act as disciplinarians when somebody takes advantage of what we've taught them and say that it's wrong to use that apparatus for what the drug companies tell us it's for.
It either is or it isn't - let's make up our minds.
An alleged fan in the Chicago Cubs bleachers dumped 16 ounces of warm pilsner beer on Shane Victorino last night when he was scrambling under a fly ball. Once again, we are held hostage by our promotional behaviors. Beer is sold at sporting events and even promoted with commercials, billboards and announcements proclaiming "Please Drink Responsibly." Sure.
The people who sell alcohol know what it does to our senses. In fact, the first thing to go when we're drinking is our judgment, hence the phrase "Beer Goggles." When a fan dumps a beer on a player during a game we're supposed to be outraged.
Charges have been filed against the fan for simple assault.
That's nice. Maybe Budweiser should be included in the lawsuit, since they haven't promoted the responsible part of drinking enough. I suppose if the guy was really drunk he would have missed Shane altogether.
Actually, it's nice when junk like that happens someplace besides Philadelphia.

1 comment:

susan said...

Good piece, but did you see Philly is in top sports news right now? What were the EAgles thinking when they signed the most hated man inn football, Michael Vick?