Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Pet peeves about sports
Early September is a transitional period in the sports year, with the beginning of football season and the back-to-school anticipation of the various college sports. And since I'm in a foul mood, it brings to mind some of my sports pet peeves. I'll share two new ones.
1. Championship rings
Your team has just won the championship... what better way to mark the occasion than by getting a nice piece of jewelry. Well, actually, a big, honkin', gaudy piece of jewelry. But why jewelry? Sports don't make me think about jewelry, particularly rings, which most athletes are required to remove before competing, even in baseball, where some of them where bling around their necks while they play.
If jewelry, why not a nice pair of cufflinks? But why not something that at least can be used -- perhaps a nice set of bone china.
I particularly hate the commonplace metonomy, of "ring" to mean "championship." As in, "what a shame that Barry Bonds is going to retire from baseball without ever getting a ring." It's so weird -- it makes it sound like no one ever proposed marriage to him. How much better to say that an athlete got his bone china.
If wearing the thing is the issue, then how about a nice ceremonial sword? This can be strapped on and worn with a fancy dress uniform on formal occasions.
2. The final "minute" of a close basketball game
To me the most idiotic rule structure in sports is the one in basketball which allows -- nay, encourages or even requires -- the intentional commission of fouls in the final minute or so of a close game. When your team is trailing and the other team has the ball, the standard playbook says that one of your players should commit an intentional foul -- e.g., grabbing the guy with the ball -- which stops the clock and sends the fouled player to the free throw line. Since his free throw percentage is less than 100%, there's a good chance the fouled team will come away with fewer than two points per possession. You usually get the ball back, and your team has a chance to make up ground by scoring a two-point basket on each possession.
If the rules are created to deter conduct by defining it as a foul and setting up an easy scoring opportunity as a punishment, what sense does it make to let the incentives suddenly reverse at the end of the game? Plus, it slows the game down -- hence the final "minute" in quotes, reflecting the fact that the final minute can be five or ten minutes of real time.
And this stage of the game often degenerates into a sequence of free throws, the least interesting skill basketball players can display. Finally, if a team is lucky enough to pull out a win this way, yeah, it's exciting in one sense, but it rewards the manipulation of a technical rule glitch -- as if basketball were a sport dreamed up by crafty lawyers.
The fix would be easy enough, in a couple of different ways. Fouls in the final minute, if deemed intentional, could lead to a trip to a penalty box, as in hockey, so that the offending team would be short a player. Or fouls in the final minute could automatically result in three or even four free throws. Or two free throws with the fouled team keeping possession of the ball.
No other sport turns misconduct into a virtue at the end of the game this way. But basketball fans never buy this criticism. They defend the system with blind vehemence, as if it were inconceivable that basketball games could have exciting finishes any other way.
What are your sports pet peeves?
1. Championship rings
Your team has just won the championship... what better way to mark the occasion than by getting a nice piece of jewelry. Well, actually, a big, honkin', gaudy piece of jewelry. But why jewelry? Sports don't make me think about jewelry, particularly rings, which most athletes are required to remove before competing, even in baseball, where some of them where bling around their necks while they play.
If jewelry, why not a nice pair of cufflinks? But why not something that at least can be used -- perhaps a nice set of bone china.
I particularly hate the commonplace metonomy, of "ring" to mean "championship." As in, "what a shame that Barry Bonds is going to retire from baseball without ever getting a ring." It's so weird -- it makes it sound like no one ever proposed marriage to him. How much better to say that an athlete got his bone china.
If wearing the thing is the issue, then how about a nice ceremonial sword? This can be strapped on and worn with a fancy dress uniform on formal occasions.
2. The final "minute" of a close basketball game
To me the most idiotic rule structure in sports is the one in basketball which allows -- nay, encourages or even requires -- the intentional commission of fouls in the final minute or so of a close game. When your team is trailing and the other team has the ball, the standard playbook says that one of your players should commit an intentional foul -- e.g., grabbing the guy with the ball -- which stops the clock and sends the fouled player to the free throw line. Since his free throw percentage is less than 100%, there's a good chance the fouled team will come away with fewer than two points per possession. You usually get the ball back, and your team has a chance to make up ground by scoring a two-point basket on each possession.
If the rules are created to deter conduct by defining it as a foul and setting up an easy scoring opportunity as a punishment, what sense does it make to let the incentives suddenly reverse at the end of the game? Plus, it slows the game down -- hence the final "minute" in quotes, reflecting the fact that the final minute can be five or ten minutes of real time.
And this stage of the game often degenerates into a sequence of free throws, the least interesting skill basketball players can display. Finally, if a team is lucky enough to pull out a win this way, yeah, it's exciting in one sense, but it rewards the manipulation of a technical rule glitch -- as if basketball were a sport dreamed up by crafty lawyers.
The fix would be easy enough, in a couple of different ways. Fouls in the final minute, if deemed intentional, could lead to a trip to a penalty box, as in hockey, so that the offending team would be short a player. Or fouls in the final minute could automatically result in three or even four free throws. Or two free throws with the fouled team keeping possession of the ball.
No other sport turns misconduct into a virtue at the end of the game this way. But basketball fans never buy this criticism. They defend the system with blind vehemence, as if it were inconceivable that basketball games could have exciting finishes any other way.
What are your sports pet peeves?
Comments:
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You won't like my sports peeve: that it's televised at all, and that "special" sporting events trump regular broadcasting.
I think the sports rings are like class rings, and about as useful. But it does take up less space than an enormous trophy. If they need a memento of winning that championship, why not a tattoo?
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faynamc - a. (fey-nam-ic) being obsessed yet fickle at the same time
b. (fay-name-c) your third Fairy name
I think the sports rings are like class rings, and about as useful. But it does take up less space than an enormous trophy. If they need a memento of winning that championship, why not a tattoo?
--
faynamc - a. (fey-nam-ic) being obsessed yet fickle at the same time
b. (fay-name-c) your third Fairy name
Sieve chants after every goal. Doesn't rattle goalies as much as you might think, and is out of place when they're making great saves and have just given up one. That's not a sieve, and the chant becomes another meaningless tradition through over-use.
Chant goes on too long too. Can't hear who got the assist over the noise, if you didn't see it. Plus, doesn't it really de-emphasize the offensive effort put forth? (Don't hate on me, Wisconsin fans. I understand it's considered good fun at that level supporting the team, nothing to do with sportsmanship)
Related:
Fans who pay more attention to the games going on in the crowd than what is happening on the ice/field. A good crowd should get into the game based on quality of play, not clown acts and just following familiar traditions.
lol @"that it's televised at all"
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wv: foamyzje
French bathtub fun?
Chant goes on too long too. Can't hear who got the assist over the noise, if you didn't see it. Plus, doesn't it really de-emphasize the offensive effort put forth? (Don't hate on me, Wisconsin fans. I understand it's considered good fun at that level supporting the team, nothing to do with sportsmanship)
Related:
Fans who pay more attention to the games going on in the crowd than what is happening on the ice/field. A good crowd should get into the game based on quality of play, not clown acts and just following familiar traditions.
lol @"that it's televised at all"
---------
wv: foamyzje
French bathtub fun?
The hockey offseason, which lasts just under a week, as far as I can tell.
The fact that nearly all hockey teams make the playoffs, including teams formed the week before in order to fill out the 4,764 hours of TV time devoted to the first round of the hockey playoffs.
Televised hockey.
Actually, now that I think about it, hockey is pretty much my sports pet peeve.
The fact that nearly all hockey teams make the playoffs, including teams formed the week before in order to fill out the 4,764 hours of TV time devoted to the first round of the hockey playoffs.
Televised hockey.
Actually, now that I think about it, hockey is pretty much my sports pet peeve.
Let's see. My sports pet peeves include USC fans making it impossible to park on my street on football Saturdays and the Rose Bowl making Pasadena/Altadena impossible to deal with. Oh, and how you can't really go to a grocery store early in the day on Super Bowl Sunday. Hmmm... maybe I just hate football.
That's an easy one: "I just want to thank god for letting me sink that three-pointer/hit that home run/win the race/catch that pass for a TD." Say, I've never heard that from a hockey player ...
I couldn't agree more with number 2. It is part of what makes basketball virtually unwatchable for me. Points are basically meaningless for the first 3 1/2 quarters since it usually ends up being like 68/66 after three. To me that translates to zero/zero. So it should get exciting at that point, right? But noooo, it's all timeouts. Has that EVER worked?
My pet peeve's are:
-Non-college kids trying to start the wave at non-college sporting events. It's just not going to work when some 45-year-old guy with his shirt tucked in tries to get the 50% attendance crowd going at the Brewer game. Even if it gets started, it's slow and unchanging and pathetic in general. In the student section of a big-ten football stadium, on the other hand, it's awesome.
-Baseball uniforms that have an outer shirt with no sleeves over a inner shirt that has sleeves, or basketball uniforms that are too big for the player. It just looks ridiculous.
-Nascar being considered a sport.
-Bar time at the stadium. We always have a driver when we go to baseball games, sometimes we even take a cab or bus to Miller Park. Why do they have to cut me off in the 7th inning? I's only like 9:00. The worst is when the game goes into extra innings. Or at college games the complete lack of beer is outrageous.
My pet peeve's are:
-Non-college kids trying to start the wave at non-college sporting events. It's just not going to work when some 45-year-old guy with his shirt tucked in tries to get the 50% attendance crowd going at the Brewer game. Even if it gets started, it's slow and unchanging and pathetic in general. In the student section of a big-ten football stadium, on the other hand, it's awesome.
-Baseball uniforms that have an outer shirt with no sleeves over a inner shirt that has sleeves, or basketball uniforms that are too big for the player. It just looks ridiculous.
-Nascar being considered a sport.
-Bar time at the stadium. We always have a driver when we go to baseball games, sometimes we even take a cab or bus to Miller Park. Why do they have to cut me off in the 7th inning? I's only like 9:00. The worst is when the game goes into extra innings. Or at college games the complete lack of beer is outrageous.
How about historically pathetic baseball teams that you nevertheless loved while growing up toying with your emotions by, say, maintaining the best record in baseball deep into summer, and luring you into believing "This year, they just might do it," and then they turn around and their pitching starts to tank, and their already-shaky offense goes further downhill, and they start making stupid errors in clutch situations, and they do something like lose 2 out of 3 to the LAST PLACE SEATTLE MARINERS.
Yeah. I really hate that.
Yeah. I really hate that.
Great comments!
Vox: LOL!
brock: Tell me about it. My first trip to Disney-operated Edison Park to see an Angels game, it felt like being in a video arcade! Now they're all doing it.
Mary: I agree!
MrVerb: I just thank the lord every day that I'm not like that.
Sara: That and planning your travel around game times simply because you have to drive past the stadium.
Danny: Even worse when they wear those shirts without the undershirt -- check out old photos of Ted Kluzewski on the Reds from the 1950s.
Major: Don't worry, they'll probably still win the pennant.
Last but not least, Kim:
You should start playing hockey. Then you'll see what a beautiful game it is, and look forward to the TV broadcasts.
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Vox: LOL!
brock: Tell me about it. My first trip to Disney-operated Edison Park to see an Angels game, it felt like being in a video arcade! Now they're all doing it.
Mary: I agree!
MrVerb: I just thank the lord every day that I'm not like that.
Sara: That and planning your travel around game times simply because you have to drive past the stadium.
Danny: Even worse when they wear those shirts without the undershirt -- check out old photos of Ted Kluzewski on the Reds from the 1950s.
Major: Don't worry, they'll probably still win the pennant.
Last but not least, Kim:
You should start playing hockey. Then you'll see what a beautiful game it is, and look forward to the TV broadcasts.
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