In the last few days, it's been hard for me to watch, read, or listen to anything about sports. Why? Because it seems, wherever I turn, that everyone is focused on Tiger Woods. After sleeping with half the women on the planet, Tiger decided to finally apologize to the world. And like lemmings, everyone and their dog cared and tuned in to his speech.
For this "apology", Tiger simply read from a prepared statement. He didn't take any questions, and the only reporters that were allowed into the room were "invited."
I couldn't have cared less. The guy just wanted some positive publicity, but he wanted it on his terms. He didn't want to face the hard questions so he didn't allow any questions. But while I didn't care, everyone else on the Earth apparently did. All the networks showed the apology live, and then everyone spent their days talking about it.
What I haven't heard, however, is why anyone else cares. Sure, Tiger's a big athlete, but I've heard so many hyperboles about this story that it's sick. People were saying that the story was the biggest one of the decade (usually in the context of "sports stories" but some say it overshadowed everything...including, apparently, 9/11). People were saying that not only is Tiger Woods the most famous athlete in the world, but he's the most famous person in the world.
Now I realize that Tiger is one of the most dominant athletes in sports history and that people love him. But I guess I never realized that golf was popular enough (especially worldwide) that the most popular golfer can also be the most popular human.
Because when you hear people talk about the big sports, you usually hear about baseball, basketball, and football (not in that order, of course). Then there are the lesser sports of hockey and NASCAR. Golf is almost never in the discussion, from what I've heard.
I know it's big because there's plenty of money to be made. Both of the top two money earners in 2008 were golfers - Tiger and Phil Mickelson. But both made most of their money in advertising - another indication of the sport's popularity. However, I can't really remember an ad featuring Mickelson...so I'm wondering if they're print ads in magazines that I don't read, or if all the ads are golf-related (so they're shown during stuff I don't watch).
Maybe it's just that I don't care about golf. I've watched some of it, but it's always struck me as boring. I might like it if I played (that's how it was with tennis), but I don't really have any interest. I guess it's because I think I consider golf the sport of old men - and I don't want to look or feel like that.
So is Tiger really this popular? I mean, I guess he has to be. There wouldn't be this much coverage if everyone felt the way I do, and I trust that most of these outlets know what they're doing.
It just feels stupid because I doubt Tiger is really sorry for what he did. He's a spoiled little kid who never grew up because the spotlight was on. He's always gotten his way, and people have always loved him. And when he finally got in trouble for something he did, he went and hid somewhere until things died down. And now that he wants to go back to making money, he apologizes in this robotic way, using his power and influence to do it his way.
And in that case, why even apologize? Why bother doing anything? Why not just laugh and demand that everyone love him again? Why not show up to tournaments with a couple hookers on his arms, and say "hey, I'm high on all kinds of stuff, just banged these chicks, and now I'm gonna win this tournament."
Because he doesn't care. He doesn't want our forgiveness. He just wants our attention and our money.
And thankfully, he's not getting any of mine.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Embarrassed to Succeed
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in the blog so far, but I'm taking a chemistry class at community college to try and get out of the cubicle world. I haven't taken chemistry since sophomore year of high school, and I haven't been in school since 2005. It's been a bit of a shock to my system to have something to do on Mondays and Wednesdays, especially since my Mondays are completely taken. And having to do homework is the craziest part about it.
"Wait, I've gone to class twice this week. I also have to do this other thing in the rest of my free time? What is this stuff?"
Anyway, I did pretty well with chemistry in high school, and I did pretty well with school in general. I've already graduated with two degrees, and I didn't really anticipate this community college course being overly-challenging. And while it's been harder than I thought, I'm still doing pretty well.
And last week, we got our grades for our first test. Before the professor showed us our grades, she put down the breakdown of how many people received what grade. And it went something like this.
97 - 1
90 - 2
87 - 2
...
47 - 1
Since I'd been doing pretty well, and I felt pretty good about the test, I thought I was probably one of the top grades. I wasn't sure if I was the best grade because there are some smart people in my class, but I had a good feeling.
And as soon as she finished with the breakdown, someone yelled, "Oooh, we need to get the person who got the 97." And everyone laughed, affirming the statement.
I got the 97. And while I was happy with myself and proud of the grade, I lied when people asked. I was asked what my grade was, and I was evasive...simply saying "I didn't get the 97, that's for sure" and "Somewhere between 97 and 47."
And I realize I did this my whole life. Whenever I got a good grade, I'd lie to people about it - even when people didn't know who got what grade. I'd never go too far, claiming I failed or anything, but I tended to "reverse curve" my grade to something a little more average. I don't know if I do it to make everyone else feel better or to make myself feel more "normal" - but since I did it again.
It might simply be that I don't like all of the attention. I don't tend to answer questions in class, even when I know the answer, because I'd be embarrassed if I answered incorrectly. And if I'm labelled as the "smartest kid in the class" - I'm not allowed to make mistakes or ask stupid questions. But if I'm just another guy in the class, that makes things like that okay.
Is it a little sad that I'm embarrassed to be proud of my grades, probably the one thing I've consistently excelled at in my life? Yeah, I'd say so. But it's something I've always done, and apparently I'm not done with it.
"Wait, I've gone to class twice this week. I also have to do this other thing in the rest of my free time? What is this stuff?"
Anyway, I did pretty well with chemistry in high school, and I did pretty well with school in general. I've already graduated with two degrees, and I didn't really anticipate this community college course being overly-challenging. And while it's been harder than I thought, I'm still doing pretty well.
And last week, we got our grades for our first test. Before the professor showed us our grades, she put down the breakdown of how many people received what grade. And it went something like this.
97 - 1
90 - 2
87 - 2
...
47 - 1
Since I'd been doing pretty well, and I felt pretty good about the test, I thought I was probably one of the top grades. I wasn't sure if I was the best grade because there are some smart people in my class, but I had a good feeling.
And as soon as she finished with the breakdown, someone yelled, "Oooh, we need to get the person who got the 97." And everyone laughed, affirming the statement.
I got the 97. And while I was happy with myself and proud of the grade, I lied when people asked. I was asked what my grade was, and I was evasive...simply saying "I didn't get the 97, that's for sure" and "Somewhere between 97 and 47."
And I realize I did this my whole life. Whenever I got a good grade, I'd lie to people about it - even when people didn't know who got what grade. I'd never go too far, claiming I failed or anything, but I tended to "reverse curve" my grade to something a little more average. I don't know if I do it to make everyone else feel better or to make myself feel more "normal" - but since I did it again.
It might simply be that I don't like all of the attention. I don't tend to answer questions in class, even when I know the answer, because I'd be embarrassed if I answered incorrectly. And if I'm labelled as the "smartest kid in the class" - I'm not allowed to make mistakes or ask stupid questions. But if I'm just another guy in the class, that makes things like that okay.
Is it a little sad that I'm embarrassed to be proud of my grades, probably the one thing I've consistently excelled at in my life? Yeah, I'd say so. But it's something I've always done, and apparently I'm not done with it.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Things To Do
So Ashley finished his book, and it made me think that I should probably get back to the things that I'm writing. And, in some cases, simply finish the stuff that I've already done.
1. Do re-writes on the baseball script. I think it's the most marketable thing that I've written (I think script #1 is better, but one casting requirement makes it hard to be my first), but it's 98% reliant on voice over. And so it's more of a book on tape than a movie. Ashley's gonna read it, and hopefully he and Tucker can help clean it up.
2. Do re-writes on book number two. Again, it's the more marketable of the two books, but it's also the thing I've written that I'm most afraid to read. Probably because it's too real (and not in an MTV way). I read the first couple of chapters a few months ago - time to get a little deeper.
3. I came up with the idea for a TV show yesterday, and I'd like to develop it. I think it's a TV show (more than a book or movie) because I think it's the kind of story that needs to develop in pieces instead of in one sitting. I pitched it to a couple different people, and it got some positive reaction. I think with my ideas, Ashley's writing ability, and Tucker's ability to lead...we could make a pretty cool writing team. Like I said to Ashley yesterday, it might be our way to win the lottery.
But first I have to learn how to write a pilot script.
1. Do re-writes on the baseball script. I think it's the most marketable thing that I've written (I think script #1 is better, but one casting requirement makes it hard to be my first), but it's 98% reliant on voice over. And so it's more of a book on tape than a movie. Ashley's gonna read it, and hopefully he and Tucker can help clean it up.
2. Do re-writes on book number two. Again, it's the more marketable of the two books, but it's also the thing I've written that I'm most afraid to read. Probably because it's too real (and not in an MTV way). I read the first couple of chapters a few months ago - time to get a little deeper.
3. I came up with the idea for a TV show yesterday, and I'd like to develop it. I think it's a TV show (more than a book or movie) because I think it's the kind of story that needs to develop in pieces instead of in one sitting. I pitched it to a couple different people, and it got some positive reaction. I think with my ideas, Ashley's writing ability, and Tucker's ability to lead...we could make a pretty cool writing team. Like I said to Ashley yesterday, it might be our way to win the lottery.
But first I have to learn how to write a pilot script.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Fan Rules
I might have talked about this already, but the Saints' victory in the Super Bowl yesterday makes me want to mention it again.
"It" being the subject of fan rules - the rules that govern what teams you are allowed to be a fan of. I'm sure a lot of people are thinking that there shouldn't be rules - you should be able to cheer for whatever team you want.
False.
There are rules, and they are in place to protect the sanctity of the sport. There really isn't any punishment for breaking them, but you will not have my sports' respect if you do so.
The biggest violators of this rule were the fans that cheered for the Red Sox to break the Curse of the Bambino in 2003. I was at TCU at the time, and I remember this sudden change taking place. One day, we were living in Fort Worth, Texas - the next day, we were living in Boston. There were Red Sox fans everywhere, all claiming to support the cursed little team that could.
The problem was that all of these people were from places outside Boston, and none of them had given a crap about the Red Sox until they became the story of the year.
And there was a lot of that with the Saints this year. People liked the funny expressions, such as spelling "go" with an "eaux" at the end of it. And "who dat?" - whatever that's supposed to mean.
All of these people broke the rules, and apparently, people need to be reminded. So, here they are.
Rule 1 - If you were born and currently live in a city, you cheer for the team that plays there. I don't care if the team is terrible, you are not allowed to pick another team. I've lived in Dallas for my entire life, and I cheer for all of the teams here. Only two of the four teams in the area have ever won a championship (and the two teams that haven't won aren't exactly new), and none of them have won a title in over a decade. But this rule cannot be broken.
Rule 2 - The only exception to rule number one has to deal with your parents. If your parents are huge Yankees' fans, and they move down to Dallas, you are allowed to cheer for the same team as your parents. But you are encouraged to cheer for the home team whenever appropriate.
Rule 3 - The same applies to colleges. If you go to a Division I-A university, you have to cheer for them. I don't care if you grew up a huge Michigan fan, and you went to Ohio State because it had a really good (whatever) program. You're supposed to cheer for Ohio State. I don't care that they suck and your heart wasn't in it - when you chose to go to the school, you probably took athletics into account. Support your school and support the home team. You can make an exception for Division 1-AA and lower schools because they don't compete with Division 1-A schools. So my friend Tucker, who went to ACU, isn't breaking the rules by cheering for UT. But he probably should've been a bigger ACU fan.
Rule 4 - If your city doesn't have a team in a particular city (for example, Lincoln, Nebraska), you're allowed to be a free agent. It would probably be wise to pick a team that is geographically close so that you can watch that team play, but you don't have to. But this leads into rule 5.
Rule 5 - Once you pick a team to root for, you're locked in. If you decide to cheer for the Toronto Raptors because you're a huge fan of Chris Bosh, you aren't allowed to follow him to his new team. The team is more important than the player so be careful when you choose.
Rule 6 - You're only allowed to pick up a new team if you move to that city. If you were born in Seattle (and, thus, you cheer for the Seahawks)...and you move to Kansas City...you're allowed to cheer for the Chiefs. Because, like with rule number one, you're now rooting for the home team. Although this works best if both teams aren't in the same division. And, preferably, they'll be in different conferences. And note that I said, "allowed." You are not required to pick up the team of your new city - in fact, it's pretty cool when you don't.
These rules are designed to prevent several things.
1. Bandwagon jumping. Just because a team is a nice story doesn't mean you can become a fan of theirs. Root for them, sure. But you're a fan of one team - stick with it.
2. Cheering for a team just because they're winners. How is it any fun to always cheer for whatever team is best? Isn't half the fun of winning in sports remembering what it felt like to lose?
3. Massive groups of (insert team) in your stadium. I hate going to the ballpark for a Yankees/Rangers game, and the home team gets drowned out by fake Yankees' fans. If you've lived in Texas your whole life, you're supposed to cheer for the Rangers. I don't care that they suck - it was the cards you were given. And I promise that the first Rangers' World Series will feel a lot better to me than 26 fake Yankees' World Series will feel to you.
Follow these simple rules, and we won't have any issues. Break them...and you'll be sorry.
"It" being the subject of fan rules - the rules that govern what teams you are allowed to be a fan of. I'm sure a lot of people are thinking that there shouldn't be rules - you should be able to cheer for whatever team you want.
False.
There are rules, and they are in place to protect the sanctity of the sport. There really isn't any punishment for breaking them, but you will not have my sports' respect if you do so.
The biggest violators of this rule were the fans that cheered for the Red Sox to break the Curse of the Bambino in 2003. I was at TCU at the time, and I remember this sudden change taking place. One day, we were living in Fort Worth, Texas - the next day, we were living in Boston. There were Red Sox fans everywhere, all claiming to support the cursed little team that could.
The problem was that all of these people were from places outside Boston, and none of them had given a crap about the Red Sox until they became the story of the year.
And there was a lot of that with the Saints this year. People liked the funny expressions, such as spelling "go" with an "eaux" at the end of it. And "who dat?" - whatever that's supposed to mean.
All of these people broke the rules, and apparently, people need to be reminded. So, here they are.
Rule 1 - If you were born and currently live in a city, you cheer for the team that plays there. I don't care if the team is terrible, you are not allowed to pick another team. I've lived in Dallas for my entire life, and I cheer for all of the teams here. Only two of the four teams in the area have ever won a championship (and the two teams that haven't won aren't exactly new), and none of them have won a title in over a decade. But this rule cannot be broken.
Rule 2 - The only exception to rule number one has to deal with your parents. If your parents are huge Yankees' fans, and they move down to Dallas, you are allowed to cheer for the same team as your parents. But you are encouraged to cheer for the home team whenever appropriate.
Rule 3 - The same applies to colleges. If you go to a Division I-A university, you have to cheer for them. I don't care if you grew up a huge Michigan fan, and you went to Ohio State because it had a really good (whatever) program. You're supposed to cheer for Ohio State. I don't care that they suck and your heart wasn't in it - when you chose to go to the school, you probably took athletics into account. Support your school and support the home team. You can make an exception for Division 1-AA and lower schools because they don't compete with Division 1-A schools. So my friend Tucker, who went to ACU, isn't breaking the rules by cheering for UT. But he probably should've been a bigger ACU fan.
Rule 4 - If your city doesn't have a team in a particular city (for example, Lincoln, Nebraska), you're allowed to be a free agent. It would probably be wise to pick a team that is geographically close so that you can watch that team play, but you don't have to. But this leads into rule 5.
Rule 5 - Once you pick a team to root for, you're locked in. If you decide to cheer for the Toronto Raptors because you're a huge fan of Chris Bosh, you aren't allowed to follow him to his new team. The team is more important than the player so be careful when you choose.
Rule 6 - You're only allowed to pick up a new team if you move to that city. If you were born in Seattle (and, thus, you cheer for the Seahawks)...and you move to Kansas City...you're allowed to cheer for the Chiefs. Because, like with rule number one, you're now rooting for the home team. Although this works best if both teams aren't in the same division. And, preferably, they'll be in different conferences. And note that I said, "allowed." You are not required to pick up the team of your new city - in fact, it's pretty cool when you don't.
These rules are designed to prevent several things.
1. Bandwagon jumping. Just because a team is a nice story doesn't mean you can become a fan of theirs. Root for them, sure. But you're a fan of one team - stick with it.
2. Cheering for a team just because they're winners. How is it any fun to always cheer for whatever team is best? Isn't half the fun of winning in sports remembering what it felt like to lose?
3. Massive groups of (insert team) in your stadium. I hate going to the ballpark for a Yankees/Rangers game, and the home team gets drowned out by fake Yankees' fans. If you've lived in Texas your whole life, you're supposed to cheer for the Rangers. I don't care that they suck - it was the cards you were given. And I promise that the first Rangers' World Series will feel a lot better to me than 26 fake Yankees' World Series will feel to you.
Follow these simple rules, and we won't have any issues. Break them...and you'll be sorry.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Super Bah...or...Super Meh
I'm going to go on the record and say that the Super Bowl is overrated. I'm not going to say it's not a big deal because it's obviously a huge deal. It's always the highest-rated show of the year, it's a billion-dollar event, and advertisers treat it like their own version of Christmas. Even internationally, the Super Bowl is a major event that everyone stops down for.
I just think, to me, it's overrated.
It probably goes back to the idea that I'm a Cowboys fan more than a fan of the NFL. So if the Cowboys aren't playing, I don't really care a whole lot about the game itself. I have this issue where I can only really watch a sport if I have a rooting interest - it's one of the reasons why I play fantasy football...so that I can watch Browns/Jets during the season.
But it doesn't matter in the playoffs. Without individual players to root for, I don't care about a game between the Colts and the Ravens. Or the Saints and the Cardinals. And, no, not even the Saints and the Colts in the Super Bowl.
There are times when I root against certain teams. I rooted against the Patriots because I didn't want the smug Bill Belicheck to get a perfect season. I rooted against the Eagles because I despise their fans, and I don't want them to ever be happy. I rooted against the Steelers because my boss likes them, and he's a bit arrogant when his team is the champion.
Do I ever cheer for teams? Not really. If the Cowboys don't win, I don't really want anyone to win. And while there are certain guys that I like in the league (both Brees and Manning are examples), I don't particularly care if they win the Super Bowl or not. Both Peyton and Brees have millions of dollars, and they get to play football for a living. I think they'll be okay without this Super Bowl win.
And, yeah, the games have been pretty good recently, but I'm still typically footballed out by the time the Super Bowl comes around. Because if the Cowboys aren't playing, it means that I've probably been disappointed at some point in the season. And once the Cowboys' season is over, I turn my attention to the Mavs and Stars. It's just how I work.
But there's the other part of the Super Bowl - the commercials. I'll admit to being a bit of a girl in the sense that I usually like the ads just as much as I like the game. The Super Bowl is one of those rare times when you don't switch away when the game goes to commercial; in fact, if the game is dragging, you sort of hope that the game will just take a break so you can see the next funny ad.
Recently, though, the ads haven't been that great. There are three or four that are pretty funny, but considering how much money these companies spend, it's odd that more don't go all out. Do something elaborate, epic, or hilarious. If it doesn't meet one of those categories, I don't see the point in paying the extra money.
And then there's the other side to it - all the ads are now online before the night is over. It used to be that, if you wanted to watch a Super Bowl ad, you had to watch the game. They were never going to be shown again, and there was no way to go back and see something.
These days, if you missed something, you can re-watch it. And if you missed them all, there will be a million "top ads" lists where you can watch only the best. You can even go back and watch the best ads from previous years to feel nostalgic.
So, even if the commercials are good, you don't have to watch the game to watch the ads. Everything is pretty set for you.
All in all, the Super Bowl just isn't that big of a deal for me. The last couple of years, I've simply watched portions of the game by myself because I don't see a lot of sense in making an event out of it. It's probably crazy and un-American of me, but I stand by this opinion.
I just think, to me, it's overrated.
It probably goes back to the idea that I'm a Cowboys fan more than a fan of the NFL. So if the Cowboys aren't playing, I don't really care a whole lot about the game itself. I have this issue where I can only really watch a sport if I have a rooting interest - it's one of the reasons why I play fantasy football...so that I can watch Browns/Jets during the season.
But it doesn't matter in the playoffs. Without individual players to root for, I don't care about a game between the Colts and the Ravens. Or the Saints and the Cardinals. And, no, not even the Saints and the Colts in the Super Bowl.
There are times when I root against certain teams. I rooted against the Patriots because I didn't want the smug Bill Belicheck to get a perfect season. I rooted against the Eagles because I despise their fans, and I don't want them to ever be happy. I rooted against the Steelers because my boss likes them, and he's a bit arrogant when his team is the champion.
Do I ever cheer for teams? Not really. If the Cowboys don't win, I don't really want anyone to win. And while there are certain guys that I like in the league (both Brees and Manning are examples), I don't particularly care if they win the Super Bowl or not. Both Peyton and Brees have millions of dollars, and they get to play football for a living. I think they'll be okay without this Super Bowl win.
And, yeah, the games have been pretty good recently, but I'm still typically footballed out by the time the Super Bowl comes around. Because if the Cowboys aren't playing, it means that I've probably been disappointed at some point in the season. And once the Cowboys' season is over, I turn my attention to the Mavs and Stars. It's just how I work.
But there's the other part of the Super Bowl - the commercials. I'll admit to being a bit of a girl in the sense that I usually like the ads just as much as I like the game. The Super Bowl is one of those rare times when you don't switch away when the game goes to commercial; in fact, if the game is dragging, you sort of hope that the game will just take a break so you can see the next funny ad.
Recently, though, the ads haven't been that great. There are three or four that are pretty funny, but considering how much money these companies spend, it's odd that more don't go all out. Do something elaborate, epic, or hilarious. If it doesn't meet one of those categories, I don't see the point in paying the extra money.
And then there's the other side to it - all the ads are now online before the night is over. It used to be that, if you wanted to watch a Super Bowl ad, you had to watch the game. They were never going to be shown again, and there was no way to go back and see something.
These days, if you missed something, you can re-watch it. And if you missed them all, there will be a million "top ads" lists where you can watch only the best. You can even go back and watch the best ads from previous years to feel nostalgic.
So, even if the commercials are good, you don't have to watch the game to watch the ads. Everything is pretty set for you.
All in all, the Super Bowl just isn't that big of a deal for me. The last couple of years, I've simply watched portions of the game by myself because I don't see a lot of sense in making an event out of it. It's probably crazy and un-American of me, but I stand by this opinion.
And I'm sure if more Americans were honest about it, many would agree with me.
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