Tuesday, January 30, 2007

If A Tree Falls in the Woods

Not enough face time? Why do athletes believe that anybody wants to hear their opinions on issues of the day? It's really pretty simple, because seldom does it impact their bottom line.

Yes, those defenders of the Constitution want free speech, unless it interferes with their interpretation of their rights. And yes, athletes, the clergy, and even doctors can speak out about global warming, saving the whales, religion, politics, sex, and occasionally even baseball.

Once in a while you see a bumper sticker adorned with an American flag saying God Bless America. I've always wondered whether they have similar ones saying 'Yahweh Bless Israel', 'Allah Bless Saudi Arabia', and so on...and of course what 'bless' means to each of the above.

I also find it ironic that the two biggest athletic icons of their time, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, practically never comment on social issues...which gets me back to my first point, 'the bottom line'.

If I sold widgets, I want to make the best widgets possible, and sell them at the best price to buyers of every race, creed, sex, age, and political persuasion. The same would hold if I sold Titlest golf balls, Buicks, or Nike products.

Red Sox fans must come in every color, political persuasion, religion, sex, and so on. They buy orange juice, Sox gear, wide screen televisions, drink beer (sometimes too much), and vote Democratic, Independent, and Republican. They like the Kennedys and detest them, and worship the Bush clan and detest them. About the only thing most agree on is that they can't stand the Yankees. So I can only wish that the players and management spend more time talking baseball and less time talking trash.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Agreed. Schilling, Lowell, et al. (RE: Bush v. Kerry, Castro) should just shut up and play ball. I love Schill's heart and ability, but he must be a political moron not to see the damage Bush has done to the entire planet. And sorry, Mike, but if your relatives suffered at the hands of Castro, they must have been up to their necks in playing for the wrong side, the CIA and US mercenaries only interested in making Cuba a permanent U. S. colony. Take a clue: a lot of fans relate to the working classes in this country and elsewhere, and not to the privileged elites who get to play a game for big bucks well into middle age. Get a real job before you cast your aspersions on the rest of us and our politics.