Is this the (sports) world we created?

(Yes, that's another Queen reference in the title, if you're scoring at home.)

I'm going to come clean. I had this next thing in the cue for a while. But I didn't know how to present it in a kind or meaningful way. It's a clip from the Associated Press, of Arizona Cardinals fans reacting to the team losing the Super Bowl. 

 

Obviously my first instinct was mockery and sarcasm. (Hey, old habits die hard.) I was going to focus on the last guy, from the 31 second mark forward - the "I am so frustrated with this!" guy - and present a multiple choice question speculating what exactly the "this" is that he is "so frustrated with." I had it narrowed down to the following options:

a) an inflated sense of entitlement
b) a lack of upper body muscle definition
c) the fact that there are people who root for a team other than his
d) the unhealthy level of personal importance he places on the Arizona Cardinals winning a football game, and how it makes him feel

In seriousness though, I have more to say on this. As I mentioned earlier, I want to make this post meaningful, and maybe even redeeming. And I think I know how. I will start by again addressing the last guy. But instead of mocking him, I've just got two words for him...

Thank you.

Thank you for showing us what we should never become. Thank you for showing us how ugly we can allow ourselves to look, and for giving us motivation to never want to look like that in front of friends or loved ones - let alone in front of a camera.

At this point let me clarify something. I am not saying that only Cardinals fans behave like this, nor am I picking on them in particular. It would be silly to think that, for instance, no Browns or Lions fans in the past 50+ years, or Jets fans in the past 40 years, or Raiders fans in the past 25 years, etc., have ever angrily exclaimed "I am so frustrated with this," or looked bad on TV.

And on a positive note, the 3rd guy, at the 20 second mark, put things into proper perspective. "My heart is hurting a little bit but I'm still happy because the Cardinals showed they are a true team. Character, spirit, they fought strong 'till the end." That is a person who approaches sports in a healthy way, and I'd even say I'd like to watch a game with him sometime. Sure, that was only one guy out of five, but in fairness I am aware the AP had the ability to "cherry-pick" the clips to use, so I would be unfair to estimate or generalize with regards to percentages of folks who have it right.

Now to the larger issue of sportsmanship. Much like the time I truly questioned people's ability to laugh anymore, I am now truly questioning people's ability to handle their team losing anymore. In other countries people die over soccer far too frequently. I don't know if things here in America are any better or worse than they were in past generations, but I certainly hope we realize that sports just aren't that important. Yes, my blog is about mostly sports, but it comes with an obvious underlying axiom. Or at least I hope it's obvious. That axiom is, "Sports are not important in the overall picture."

A perfect example of an underlying axiom comes from one of my favorite forms of entertainment: Wrestling. When two wrestling fans have a discussion, they both know wrestling is scripted. But of course they don't need to say that every time. If they did, you'd have conversations like the following:
Lenny: "I know wrestling is scripted, but I like the way they've set up this Triple H vs. Randy Orton angle."
Carl: "I know wrestling is scripted too, but I am looking forward to seeing if Shawn Michaels will end the Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania."

Likewise, with sports fandom, if you had to say what should be understood from the start, it would sound like this:

Lenny: "Sports are not important, and we have way more important things to worry about in the world, like our families who need our love and support, the war in Iraq, and the economic crisis...and I think the Bears gave up too much for Jay Cutler."
Carl: "Sports are not important, and we have way more important things to worry about in the world, like our families who need our love and support, the war in Iraq, and the economic crisis...and I disagree, I think the Bears got a good deal in this trade."

So this brings me back to the "I am so frustrated with this!" guy. How would you respond to him? All you have to do is remind him of any one of a few specific, simple facts. Again, in multiple choice format:

a) It's only a game
b) No one is dying because of the result
c) The Cardinals don't pay you enough to feel this way
d) (If applicable) Go home to your wife and/or children, they need your best

And just like my first multiple choice question, I feel any one of these answers are acceptable.