I just hate the obsession and fanaticism associated with it. It turns grown men into assholes. Sporting assholes, but assholes nonetheless.

I enjoy the mental aspect of the game, certainly in football, but especially in baseball. There is grace and elegance, too, and great athletes in action are a joy to watch, as are great dancers. The only exception is basketball--I understand the beauty and athleticism, but it just moves too fast and I don't understand the game well enough to follow it. I love to watch basketball filmed in slow motion!

You know I enjoy blue water yacht racing, and sports car road racing (yes, I think dragsters and Indy/oval track stuff is rednecky and puerile). Whenever any yachting or grand prix/formula events are on TV I love to watch. But if they were on 3 or 4 times a week I would quickly lose interest.

Yachting and road racing I've actually done myself, in a very amateur way, so I can really get into it, and I was a fairly decent corporate softball player back in the day...(infield). Yacht racing in tame waters like a bay (as in the America's Cup) is too much like drag racing or NASCAR. OTOH, racing sailboats across oceans in all kinds of weather is beautiful, but unfortunately, the cameras need to be on the boats to properly communicate the drama. Its a hard contest to film for the fans.

But all that "learning teamwork, leadership, discipline, resilience, strong social connections, self-esteem, and a sense of community" crap is what they pound into teen-agers to train them to be good little corporate drones, docile workers-and infantrymen. I want no part of that. It smells too much of teen spirit.

Sport is a lot like pornography. Its the athletic equivalent of watching other people having sex. A little bit every now and then is harmless, in fact, it might even be good for you. But when you are hooked on it and obsessed with it it is childish, if not downright pathological.