Sports Rabble Round Up

We fool ourselves so easily and wantingly. It's almost as if we love setting ourselves up to look foolish. Be it sports or politics, our prognostications and punditry borders on useless banter.

Dress it up all you want, West Coast offense, Tiki-taka, total football etc., in whatever you sport you choose, but if you don't play as a team, you ain't winning. Talent is one thing. Culling and nurturing it within a team structure is quite another. How many times have we ordained a team to be the "most talented" only to watch them fall on their faces? How many times have we looked on in disbelief as a team we considered to possess little talent win?

We waste our time with that. Alas, the aforementioned systems aren't guaranteed to bring victory.


Pick any sport. Grab the consistent performers. What do they all share? A committment to the team.

United teams forming a strong front will always prevail. The rest is just window dressing.

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I watched the Women's FIFA World Cup match between the United States and Brazil. It was a wonderful and dramatic match. One in which the odds were massively stacked against the powerhouse Americans, as they played with 10 players for nearly 120 minutes, a questionable call (I thought it was harsh. The encroachment was negligible) that led to a penalty retake for Brazil leading to the tying goal and some iffy gamesmanship by the Brazilians. The way the Americans played reminded me of Italy in 2006. No matter the odds, never give up.

I think the U.S. were fairly rewarded within the context of the rules.

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Speaking of gamesmanship. In the case of Brazil, the general commentary is such that given the skills set of Brazil their bad behavior tends to be overlooked. If Italy's gamesmanship is somewhat over played in the halls of public opinion, Brazil's (and a few others) is under played. Goes to show if you smile and play the "acceptable" style, you'll get a pass. Truth is, when it comes to theatrics, the South Americans (including Brazil and Argentina) are the masters.

But it's like that in any sport, isn't it? A talented team or player will always get the benefit of the doubt.

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Last, about the lock outs possibly coming to the NFL and NBA - and with increasing talk the NHL. It's an utter, laughable disgrace given the economic times we live in. A bunch of millionaires and billionaires fighting over more millions. All to play a lousy game. For shame.

No wonder I'm reluctant to take in a few games these days.

It's interesting. I bump into some of my former hardcore sports friends from time to time, and they all seem to be fed up. One guy only watches women's sports, while the other stands by the CFL because it's not just about the money since there's little of it. They want to watch a league that truly believes in the "for the love of the game" mantra and not these empty slogans from lawyers, executives, players and commissioners alike.

Anyway, they'll lock-out and the fans will crawl back.

Circle of life.