Sports are stupid.
Hello, I’m Greg Gottfried, and I will be your new National Sports Columnist.
Back to our original thesis.
The inherent silliness of sports is obvious. We watch grown men and women chase after a ball for hours on end. Channels with 24/7 programming are dedicated to this cause. Billions of dollars every year are spent on advertising to the sport fanatic.
In the grand scheme of things, your favorite sport isn’t really that important. Whoever wins or loses won’t actually change what happens in your life. You’ll still go to work or school the next day. LeBron James and Serena Williams will carry on with their lives, and you will do the same.
Of course, I’m being hypocritical. My life is run by sports. I write, read, talk, text and tweet (or, name a verb) about sports on a daily basis. It consumes me in the same way that it consumes countless individuals.
What I’m trying to convey is that sometimes we have to take a step back and truly understand where sports lie in the significance of life.
The phrase “stick to sports” has become a bit of a phenomenon in our current culture. Athletes, journalists and even some fans will be given this horrendous advice.
When trying to branch out into other realms — whether it be politics, current events or anything even a bit controversial — many will tell those who have ties to sports to stay in their lane and not give their opinion.
A recent example of this is from the most recent Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards. The extravagant and mostly unnecessary awards show made news this year for its opener. Standing on the stage were LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul.
The quartet spoke about the problems facing the black community with gun violence and called for change and social justice. It was a powerful, important and transcending demand for action, which somehow, inanely, had detractors.
Telling athletes to stay in their lane has been the norm for quite some time now, as many want to view sports and athletes as separate entities from the world they’re enveloped in. “Keep on throwing and kicking the ball to distract us from our problems.”
The complication with this worldview is that athletes aren’t just athletes; they’re fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and, most importantly, human beings who have as much right to speak about issues plaguing them as you and I. The fact that they have a larger platform shouldn’t discourage individuals from making a point and having a say.
Instead of jeering at athletes for speaking their mind, we should be applauding them for having the guts to want to be a part of the public discussion. It’s much easier to say nothing at all than have your thoughts be known on a national stage.
Let’s not stick to “sticking to sports.”
