GULAG, NJ – What an honor it is to fill in for the iconic Angry Ward Calhoun! This almost feels like a dream! A virtual reality where I get to turn my MAGA hat backwards and go to town on my tablet keyboard to express my feelings about sports.
I have to admit that professional sports are beginning to wear on me. Every time my appetite to watch kicks in, it’s lost after I see or hear an irrelevant distraction regarding something that has zero to do with the action. Virtual sports allows you to enjoy and be part of the action sans the bloviating about how to solve the problems of the world. Play Ball Dammit!
While we continue to desensitize our youth by isolating them from each other, our sports are being pushed aside in favor of “ virtual schooling.” Where do they end up when the fields and courts are shuttered? Virtual sports and gaming. Now a certain segment of the population would argue that this will lead to an even playing field for all those who cannot handle the rigors of physical competition. They have never condoned a world where everyone did not receive a trophy. Coaching by encouraging hard work to earn a spot on the team and in the lineup is contradicted by those who want their kid to play just because they deserve it or know somebody.
The real world is not like this.
Virtual universes can create a result at the behest of whomever is typing on the keyboard.
So where are we headed ? That’s a great question. Obviously there is too much payola at stake without the real thing. Colleges can join this conversation as most D-1 coaches are printing money along with the big time programs. They are all scrambling and conflicted over what to do and what is right. Fact is, their players are useless to them if they are merely students vying for an education. The intellectuals are thrilled to see sports in an induced coma but they are also faced with the conundrum on how to justify immoral tuitions when students are virtually attending classes. Many are realizing that they can graduate in three years when the focus is on learning. Online is here to stay.
What Will This do to Professional Sports? Millions of fans are realizing that they can live without The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and even Soccer and Rugby! Whose winning? Peloton, Nordic Track, Schwinn, Trek-bikes and RV Manufacturers. The masses are escaping the grind and actually enjoying getting to know their families while keeping all others at a safe distance. Televised sports not garnering impressive ratings. Are we getting back to simple pleasures via new technology, while moving on from paying to watch sports? That is up to those on the field and in the front offices. If they continue to bring politics onto the field, courts and ice, they will alienate a large portion of their paying customers. Time will tell.
Conclusion? Sports will never go away. While we are creating a new normal , billionaires are not stupid. They will adjust by paying off the influencers, while getting back to the business of printing money. If they somehow fail at this, their teams may lose value as fast as New York City real estate.
Virtual may just give them a run for the money!
Did somebody say influencers?
Feel free to chime in with your delusions and be sure to come back for more Bangin’ Buddy Diaz tomorrow.
