Things that drive me crazy in sports
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8. Not enough luge on TV. I absolutely love the sport – it is second only to baseball. Yet, I get to see it only once every four years.
7. Prices. Seriously, toss me some sort of a bone. The ticket prices are absurd, I pay to park, and concessions and gift shops are overpriced. Some stadiums have all-you-cam-eat-without-puking sections, which is nice. Some places have family deals (4 tickets, 4 dogs, 4 sodas), but usually only for less popular games. Really, do a bit more. If I’m paying $75 a ticket for my family of 4, let me park for free. Don’t make me buy overprice preseason tickets as part of a season ticket package.
6. College athletes who want to get paid. First of all, you are getting paid. Full tuition, room and board, books. I would have loved to have gotten these benefits from my college job. Second, the vast majority of athletic departments do NOT make a profit. The majority of schools are not getting rich on athletics; they are breaking even or losing money. Sure, some sports might make a profit, but do you really want to pay a bad QB and not pay an All-American volleyball player, simply because football makes money and volleyball doesn’t?
5. Efforts to shorten games. MLB has done this. NCAA football has done this. I like sports. Why would I want to shorten the games? The NCAA’s tactics resulted in fewer plays per game, which is a loss for the fans. If I am a roller coaster fan, do I want to see the amusement parks shorten the ride time? No, of course not.
4. Lack of NCAA football playoff. Some of the NCAA’s arguments might make more sense if there wasn’t a playoff in every other division. It’s OK for 1-AA (FCS) players to play all the extra games, miss class time, etc, but it’s not OK for 1-A (FBS) players?
3. Baseball teams are not allowed to trade their draft picks. The results in players often being chosen based on signability rather than talent. In other words, I use the #1 pick to draft the 4th best player, because he will sign for a reasonable amount. Why not allow me to trade my pick the the team with the #4 pick. This allows them to grab a guy they wouldn’t have been able to get at #4. At #4, I get the same guy I would have taken at #1 – plus I get some additional value from the other team.
Alternately, perhaps I trade a 2nd round pick for an aging veteran for a playoff push.
Draft picks could become currency, and allow a lot more trades to occur. Some opponents say that this would not be a panacea. OK, sure. But I haven’t heard anyone making a solid argument that it would hurt any teams. If there is a good chance of it helping some teams, and a very small chance of it hurting anyone, do it! This is a great cost/benefit scenario.
2. The “down without contact” rule in NCAA football. A player can trip over his own feet, 20 yards from the nearest defender, and he is immediately down. Come on, people, this makes no sense. I can understand this in cases where the player is at the risk of injuries, but there are many cases where a player could easily jump up and continue running.
1. The designated hitter. Don’t get me started on this one …
Kosmo is the founder of The Soap Boxers and writes on a variety of topics, including the Fiction Friday original short stories. You can purchase some of Kosmo's work at the company store. Like Kosmo's writing? You can leave a tip. Like this site? Subscribe via RSS, Subscribe via Email, or Follow us on Twitter. The permanent URL for this article is:http://www.thesoapboxers.com/things-that-drive-me-crazy-in-sports/
Paranoid
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My wife and I were at Target this weekend and decided to check out a GPS navigation system they had on sale. After trying to find them in electronics, we are directed back to the massive and glorious automotive section. We get back to automotive. Sure enough, several GPS units are on display. Sort of. [...]
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Roth vs. Traditional IRA / 401(k) First, the disclaimer. The Soap Boxers (TCO) is not a tax professional. While TCO makes every effort to provide accurate information, TCO is not liable for damages that occur from use of the information. This information is only intended as a “jumping off point”. You should perform your own [...]
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Hanging Chads
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Chad Ocho Cinco (nee Johnson) will wear the name “Johnson” on his jersey throughout the 2008 season and will switch to Ocho Cinco in 2009. At issue is Rebook’s investment in Johnson jersey. Had Chad switched names on his jersey, he would have needed to reimburse Rebook for the cost of the worthless Johnson jerseys. [...]
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Star Trek madness
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Captain Kirk is mad at Sulu for not being invited to Sulu’s wedding. Sulu says that Kirk was invited, but didn’t RSVP. Seriously, people, let’s not get upset about this. Obviously, the invitation got lost in the mail. Don’t let the USPS break up your friendship. http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/10/23/william.shatner.takei.ap/index.html
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Coors Field Hangover
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As many of you know, I have been trying to determine if the Rockies have a significantly different LD rate at home vs. road. To me, this would indicate a Coors Hangover with breaking balls (they would break more sharply on the road, and the Rockies would need to adjust for that after seeing flat [...]
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Baseball Free agent Compensation
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Major league baseball uses the Elias Bureau’s ratings to determine type A and type B free agents. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you should probably just skip this post). The components of the rankings are supposed to be secret, but they’re really not. In fact, one blogger – Eddie Bajek at [...]
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How to get a newspaper delivered for free
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We are former subscribers of a local newspaper. The paper is so-so. The comics are solid, the sports section is pretty lackluster. Ever since we started subscribing, we have been fighting a carrier issue. The carrier launches the paper toward our front steps with an accuracy that would remind you of a young Mitch Williams. [...]
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Suddenly
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Why do people feel the need to use the phrases “all of the sudden” or “all of a sudden” when “suddenly” conveys the same thought much more smoothly?
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Investments
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A modest proposal: guerilla investments tactics Many times, we hear about class warfare. The poor and middle class doing battle with the rich. Unfortunately, this is not the battle that they should be fighting. Instead of fighting people outside of your socioeconomic status, you should instead be fighting the people within your own financial strata. [...]
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