A letter writer named Al Singer, in Phil Sheridan's Philadelphia Inquirer Q&A forum:
"I ask this of you, since I respect your mind and the fact that you haven't sold out to new breed of tabloid junkies who litter the sport pages these days. Why has sports journalism taken the role of critic in something as whimsical as sports? What are its roots and justifications of this style of journalism. Seriously, who are any of us to be critical of major league teams that win say half their games. To me, anything above that is gravy when you consider the competition of so many teams, the luck of draw in selecting men, the simple twists of fate and capricious bounces of the ball, and the "war of attrition" aspect where ill fated injuries are not really misfortune but inexorable. It's like we can't seem to put sports in perspective with what we really should be examining."So obvious, yet no one ever seems to actually say it. Sheridan agrees, stating that "are the Phillies contributing to global warming? Are the Eagles to blame for problems with the economy or the education system? Of course not, and it does seem that a lot of people direct their ire at sports figures out of all proportion." He's great. Let's hope he survives the Inquirer's upcoming staff cuts. Posted by Stephen Silver at November 7, 2006 11:58 AM
Some of it is too many "fans" allow their sense of self-worth to be tied up in the success or failure of their chosen teams. If the team "fails," then the fan feels like a failure. More importantly, if the team is doing well, it helps alleviate some of the drudgery of everyday life. No reasonable person should allow overpaid hormone monsters to affect their lives like that. BTW, I am a big sports fan, so I don't mean to be preaching. I have season tickets to Ohio State football, and I enjoy the whole experience, but I have learned that screaming at 19-year-olds because they dropped an oblong ball isn't really a sign of a mature, rational individual.
Posted by: DBrooks at November 7, 2006 02:12 PM