What the Heck Has Happened to Sports?

I will admit right off that I'm not a sports fan. I've often wished I was because it seems like so much fun to root for your team and go to the parties! I have been around this and enjoyed it, but not to any lasting degree. Every day I check out all the various stories on my home page and lately I've noticed that at least a quarter of them have to do with some sport. It used to be about who won what or a player being traded...that kind of thing. Now I've noticed it's about coaches acting inappropriately, players being rude to their fans, violence breaking out during and/or after games, parents fighting, and of course the number of athletes that have been arrested. What the heck has happened to sports?

What used to be a wholesome and pleasurable part of life has now gone so far off that it is filled with anger and bad behavior. Have we really become so engrossed in winning that people are letting their emotions get totally out of control over a game? The violence that erupts at some of these events just horrifies me. What happened to good losers and learning to live with life's disappointments and failures. What happened to good sportsmanship?

Not being a sports fanatic seems to make these headlines even worse. I am no longer envious of people who are die hard fans. If this is what being a sports fan is all about, I'm glad I'm not one. I know this isn't the whole picture, but it seems to be getting more prevalent as time goes by. I've seen at least four stories in the past week about coaches and players insulting their fans. What world do these people live in? Has the fame and power of being major sports figures made them flip their lids? I just don't get it.

I think we have become so obsessed with sports and winning that it has corrupted the original idea of sports. The obvious insight is that this is setting a horrible example to kids. What used to be fun and a good lesson in winning and losing, and acting graciously about both, has been lost. Kids are not learning that anymore. What a sad thing for kids to have lost the true nature of playing sports. The parents who end up fighting over a game are doing such an injustice to their children.

I know there are plenty of good sports fans out there too and good for them. Let's just hope that the unruly, rude, violent bunch (including the players and coaches) are eventually going to be punished for their bad behavior. It's the only way to bring sports back to what it used to be and the important lessons it can teach our children.