For the Love of the Game
I want to discuss with you my view on pure sports. What makes a sport pure? I submit to you that a sport is pure so long as the rules enforcers (referees or umpires) don't determine the outcome. That being said, on the playgrounds and fields basketball and soccer are great games, sadly however, at the professional level lobbying the referees is too much a part of the game. To put it bluntly, I don't think an athlete should be rewarded for being a cry baby. Here is a partial list of my hierarchy of sports.
Worst:
Basketball Soccer
Marginal:Football Hockey Any judged sport (e.g. Figure Skating, Gymnastics, Diving, etc.)
Best:Baseball Timed sports (track and field, etc.) Combat sports (Boxing, Wrestling, etc.)
Tell me if I'm wrong.
Worst:
Marginal:
Best:
Tell me if I'm wrong.
posted by Roy at 10:14
4 Comments:
i would definitely move boxing into the "worst" category. at least professional boxing as we know it, and particulary corrupt olympic boxing. i guess it falls under your "any sport that uses judges" category.
and with the way the seahawks have been bitching this offseason, controversy about the tuck rule, the fumble out the side of the end zone, and everything else lately, i think you might have to move football to the "worst" category as well. by the time you're done, only track and field will be left.
I considered putting boxing into the marginal category, for the aforementioned reasons. However, my reasoning for including it in the "best" category is as follows: I am making a distinction between referees who determine the outcome of the game, but are still acting in good faith vs. normal referees.
To be sure, if there is explicit corruption a referee in any sport can change the outcome.
Roy,
you are clearly wrong about baseball. As you know, I love baseball, but it is highly dependent upon the umps. From the very fundamental calls of balls and strikes to bang-bang plays at 1st base, the outcome of a game can quickly determined by one bad call. With that being said, we all hope bad calls cancel themselves out, and chalk it up to being all part of the game.
Ian, you could not be more wrong, but I will accept responsibility for your confusion. I am not talking about umpires/referees screwing up. I am talking about umpires/referees doing their job. Sports like soccer and basketball where the umpires are asked to eject players based on vague and arbitrary "foul" rules are "worst".
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