The Beginning of the End of Professional Sports

If you have not heard about what happening to the Houston Astros this past week, then, your are living on a remote island and probably have other things that are more important. If that is you, good for you!

If that is not, then let's talk. Both their manager and their general manager were suspended for a year, and then, fired by the owner. The team lost draft picks and was fined $5 million dollars, and all this was for what? Stealing signs!

Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy? I mean, come on... stealing signs? Really? We have got real issues in sports like domestic violence, steroids, brain injuries, and MLB is throwing the book at the Astros for... stealing signs. Am I the only one who thinks this smells funny?

When I played baseball long ago, if you were good it didn't matter if you knew what pitch was coming or not. As a matter of fact, I played against pitchers who were so good they actually told you what was coming, and you still couldn't hit it. If stealing signs is so wrong and such an affront to baseball then every church softball team needs to be penalized. I mean, come on... you know that ark is coming. I believe this landmark case is the beginning of the end of professional sports for one simple reason... they have forgotten who they are.

Baseball is a sport... period. So is basketball, football and hockey. The game entertains and provides fans a means of supporting their favorite team, at least it used to do that. I used to enjoy going to MLB games, but no more. Now, I am reading about a professional league handing out fines as if it is a government, as if a sign on a baseball field is necessary for national security. I have read all the pundits, and they, too, have forgotten that these sports are... sports. There is a reason for this lapse in memory, and that reason is green. No, I am not taking about envy; instead, I am talking about money.

A professional athlete, on average, gets paid more in one season that most of us will see in our lifetimes, and I will throw actors into this lot as well. I stumbled onto an article the other day that documented the highest paid employee in each state. Most of the states had, as their highest paid employee, a college football coach. Are you serious? How can that be? Answer me this question: how come we vilify wealthy CEOs, but idolize wealthy athletes and actors?

There are actually people positing that the punishment is not harsh enough? This is like the the issue the New England Patriots dealt with several years ago regarding the proper inflation of footballs. I am from the north so I know that if you leave a properly inflated football out in the cold it looses air. Anyone who has played football knows this, and yet, all the "professionals" just knew that the Patriots cheated. This is just another example of how professional sports are losing their minds.

So, what are we to do? What are we, the lowly, who fork out our hard-earned money to see a sport that really cares very little for us anymore, to do? Well, if you want to follow my lead then stop paying for professional sports. I gave them up a long time ago. I have better things to do with my money than to throw it at a sport that has forgotten who it really is. So, while I still remember who I am, I am going to stop supporting those who think they are more important than they are. That makes sense to me; what about you?

Change

What is change? Lisa Ower has a great article in Forbes on change. If you want a different perspective on change then read Lisa Ower's article. Click HERE to read the article. There is a lot in that article that will make you think.

In the last ten years, I have seen so much change that I have changed because of the amount of change I have seen. I have seen change in computers, phones, television, movies, athletics and education, but the change I have seen in culture is most disturbing.

Culture has lost something in all that has changed in culture. There is something missing. What I see in culture is a hyper-intense focus on self, manifesting as individualism masquerading as happiness and contentment. If you doubt me just sit down and watch a few commercials. You will pick up on the theme of self pretty quickly. So, here is the problem as I see it... culture is about difference. Difference unites through a commonality, and yet, a culture that is only focused on individualism does not develop a commonality that unites difference.

This focus on individualism is a polarized focus on self, which has a very bleak future. We already see evidence of this in our current culture. If you doubt me, then, answer this question. Name one thing, anything, that unites different people. Name something everyone will agree on. I can't think of anything anymore. Ten years ago I would have said patriotism, but even that will no longer work. Commonality is the blood of culture, especially a culture like ours.

Cultures are melting pots of difference, but if nothing unites difference then, the difference wins. The problem is that there is a lot of difference so which difference wins. Just look at our political system. Yes, there are technically two parties, but are there? I would suggest that there are more than two parties inside the two parties. There are moderates, hyper-liberals, socialists, ultra-conservatives and many more. In the past, some of these would not be acceptable, but now we hear that all ideas are welcome. But, are they?

Whether you are talking culture or a road, each requires guidelines. Everything cannot be acceptable. Guard rails and speed limits are the commonalities for most roads. They keep all the differences safe and secure. Culture is, in some ways, the same as a road. So, what are the commonalities in current culture? What are those things that keep all the difference safe and secure? I am struggling to come up with anything... what about you? I would love to know your thoughts! Hit the comment section. Thanks!