I tried to start my own bandwagon on this a few years ago and found it to be tougher than I thought. I love sports. I love watching them, especially college and pro football (especially when my Horns and my Steelers are doing well) and hockey. I'll do baseball and basketball, but I have to be there. Watching them on TV is like watching concrete dry for me. But, I tried to boycott them for the following reasons...
There's been a problem mounting for some time now and it doesn't seem to have stopped - just plateaued for a bit, maybe. Professional athletes make entirely too much money. I get that they're role models and all that bologna but so are teachers. And firefighters. And policemen/women. And nurses. And social workers. And the list could go on and on. And all of these people make anywhere between $12/hour (some EMT's make that little) to what - $45K (I'm referencing amounts I know relative to Texas and the Houston area - I'm sure it varies by region of the country)??
To add insult to injury, how often do you hear about a professional athlete getting arrested for DUI while driving his Land Rover 140 mph after running from his $3.4MM mansion after a fight with his wife in which he beat the crap out of her because he was high on coke so he decided to flee to his mistress' house? I exaggerate, I admit, but come on...Terrell Owens? Do you really think he's worth the money especially for the B.S. he brings?
To make matters worse, there are people losing their homes and dropping off their children at hospitals and fire houses and such because they can't afford to keep and feed them. And we're still signing professional athletes to $5MM/year deals.
We have our priorities drastically mixed up and I intend to boycott purchasing any tickets for a professional sporting event. I'm not saying it will change the country and where we place the importance for ourselves and our children. But I am saying that I intend to teach my child that being a straight-laced nurse or teacher is just as honorable, if not more, than being a steroid-abusing pro athlete who is treated like he/she is above the law.
There's been a problem mounting for some time now and it doesn't seem to have stopped - just plateaued for a bit, maybe. Professional athletes make entirely too much money. I get that they're role models and all that bologna but so are teachers. And firefighters. And policemen/women. And nurses. And social workers. And the list could go on and on. And all of these people make anywhere between $12/hour (some EMT's make that little) to what - $45K (I'm referencing amounts I know relative to Texas and the Houston area - I'm sure it varies by region of the country)??
To add insult to injury, how often do you hear about a professional athlete getting arrested for DUI while driving his Land Rover 140 mph after running from his $3.4MM mansion after a fight with his wife in which he beat the crap out of her because he was high on coke so he decided to flee to his mistress' house? I exaggerate, I admit, but come on...Terrell Owens? Do you really think he's worth the money especially for the B.S. he brings?
To make matters worse, there are people losing their homes and dropping off their children at hospitals and fire houses and such because they can't afford to keep and feed them. And we're still signing professional athletes to $5MM/year deals.
We have our priorities drastically mixed up and I intend to boycott purchasing any tickets for a professional sporting event. I'm not saying it will change the country and where we place the importance for ourselves and our children. But I am saying that I intend to teach my child that being a straight-laced nurse or teacher is just as honorable, if not more, than being a steroid-abusing pro athlete who is treated like he/she is above the law.
