Baseball: I know cries of "unfair" tend to be unfounded when watching sports, though some calls just aren't right, but sometimes a fan just feels the injustice of it all. Last night was such a time. The Mets started the game off well, two runs in the first and new starter Zambrano holding his own.
And, then he hurt himself in the second inning. The long man came in and quickly gave up two runs. The Mets scored, so did Colorado. Dan Wheeler then settled down and pitched to the sixth (about where you'd want him to), but gave up a run in that inning. It turned out to be the winning run. The other long guy gave up two runs in the eighth to ice the deal (final score: 6-4). And, thus, the Mets find another way to lose.
Olympics: I'm not really into the Olympics and find it cheapened somewhat by the number of international games played these days, including Winter and Summer games -- no longer is it a special leap year event. There is also the news that our players appear to be the top users of illegal substances. An Iranian refusing to play against a Israeli also harmed the whole purpose behind the event.
All the same, many people do enjoy the events, even those who would not normally watch sports. The media assist this tendency by focusing a lot on backstories, such as Afghan women or a player trying to play through injuries. Each event, in the eyes of some critics, is more drama than sport. The events also provide insomniacs something to do, since they air all night long (given the time difference between here and Greece as well as the filler potential). The events, however, are often not live (depending on the station, I guess), and scores were often reported on some outlets before the event itself was aired.
I caught a bit of it last night, some sort of women's gymnastic event -- the skill and strength involved in flipping through the routine is unbelievable. One woman noticeably had a couple problems (clearly blatant, if I caught them), which apparently could have seriously hurt the team overall. I was also reading about how upset a nineteen year old fencer* was when she couldn't qualify. The amount of stress these athletes must be under! Pamela Anderson, however, helped one out by donating greatly needed funds.
Someone argued that figure skating and gymnastics (he later added tennis) were the only women sports people really cared about. This brought forth some passionate replies, including a few by "ShriekingViolet" (a consistently good read) that in part involve some good stats on the success of Title IX and women sports overall. Such philosophical differences (at times expressed in crude terms or symbolically) are often more important than alleged ones involving things like Kerry's abilities at Election Time.
I myself am not really a viewer of women's sports though there are various chances to watch women's basketball, softball, golf, soccer, tennis, and so forth. From what I hear, women's tennis is often seen as more enjoyable than men's, partly because of better match-ups and back stories (off the court activities seem quite important to tennis fans). It's hard to compare women's softball, but I don't think men's college baseball really is more interesting. Women's basketball is less exciting, given lower scores and so forth, but I'm no big fan of men's basketball really.
Men's vs. women's golf? As is the case for some when it comes to mens sports, watching women's sports is in part a matter of enjoying the sex itself. I find soccer pretty boring, but I guess women's soccer would have the edge for that reason. It really isn't bad to admit this upfront -- I'm sure those involved in women's tennis know that attraction is one reason why the sport is popular.
And, the reactions of certain fans will tell you the same applies to baseball. Problems do arise -- just look at the personal lives of many male athletes -- but it is clearly part of the equation. Surely, this does not mean that attraction alone is the reason people watch such activities. The sport itself, including the talent, grace, and competition involved, also are part of the mix. And, if women -- who often are not big fans of the particular game -- are on hand to enjoy a day with their loved ones, it is only right (and as enjoyable) for men to be there as well.
Figure skating and gymnastics are two areas where women in particular have special skills in part because of the body types that excel in these fields. They might be considered "women" sports for this reason. The whole point of Title IX and the ethos behind it, however, is that sports need not be for one particular sex. A certain sport, such as football, might be mainly geared to one (though women do play football, just as men skate), but sports in general should be for both sexes. And, the resulting values obtained from team work, athletic excellence, and fan involvement are things women should enjoy as well.
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* She is black ... this bears noting because fencing has the image of a white elite sort of activity. It also is a good way for certain students to understand how to use weapons as objects of skill and sport. The value of this route is that said weapons are used quite often, while violent use tends to be a quick and inconsistent affair. The consequences also are obviously significantly different.