Robservations: Sometimes it’s OK to not care
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Everything from major league baseball and other pro sports news, all the way down to Division III college transactions are sent electronically around the world, allowing anyone with a sliver of interest to learn all there is to know on the topic.
But the question is, how many people actually have that sliver of interest? I don’t know about you, gentle reader, but there are plenty of stories being batted around every day about which I really couldn’t care less.
You want examples? You got ’em.
• Does it matter to you who wins the World Cup?
Now, when the U.S. team shocked the world by winning women’s soccer’s most coveted prize, it was news, But that was mainly because it was new.
This year, it’s the men’s turn to go for the cup, and boy, are we in the media excited about it. Check out this actual quote from an Associated Press editors’ advisory which came across my computer Thursday:
“With a 13-hour time difference between the World Cup sites in South Korea and Japan, and the East Coast of the United States, all first-round games will end between about 3:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. EDT (games kick off at 1:30 a.m., 2:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m., 5 a.m., 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. EDT).
No matter the time, we’ll have fast, thorough coverage of all games and other news for both cycles. And to help you plan World Cup pages, here are some basics of AP’s daily report…”
They’re excited about this, aren’t they?
Well, I’m sorry, fans. There are no current plans for your Southern Standard sports section to lay out any World Cup pages. It’s an exciting sport, and lord knows we love America and hope the team does well. But until it gets time to chant “U.S.A.! U.S.A!” at the championship game, we’re just not that interested.
And if the Americans aren’t at least contending for the top prize, this story will fade away quicker than David Wells going for the all-you-can-eat buffet.
• Do you really care whether or not Mike Piazza is gay?
I mean, sure he’s a celebrity, and devoted fans want to know everything they can about him.
But do we want to know that much? People have lost their jobs over this, for goodness sake, all because some writer said he was sleeping with a well-known member of the New York Mets.
The real question is, why did everyone automatically think it was Piazza? Is it that haircut? The goatee, maybe?
Of course, he was seen on TV having dinner alone with Alf, another famous male celebrity. Maybe that was it.
Bottom line, every year you hear rumors about which pro athletes are secretly “playing for the other team.” Heck, I’ve even spread those kinds of rumors — including one about a certain pitcher who deserted a certain Midwestern ball club, moving to a team down south, for less money than the team he was playing for would have given him to stay…
Excuse me. I got off on a tangent there. Where were we?
• There are several other areas of the sports world that are geared toward such a specific audience, I don’t believe the rest of us are even supposed to care.
Things like the America’s Cup, Tour de France, Major League Soccer, and WNBA may have their fan bases, but let’s be honest. Most of us just don’t get it.
That’s why I say to you, the sports fan of Warren County, it’s OK not to care. Don’t let the media pressure you into following the French Open, when you couldn’t care less. And don’t stay up until midnight waiting for the Arena Football highlights. Because it’s our right as sports fans to care about what we want, and root for who we want.
With that said, I’ve got to go, so I can check out my fantasy baseball league’s web site and make fun of whoever’s got Piazza.