# It's. Just. A. Goddam. Game. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 16, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754 "2003-10-16T08:02:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/1 "2003-10-16T08:02:31Z")
Some of you baseball fans are unbelievable. You get seriously worked up over this shit, don’t you? You guys should either start acting your age, or just put on diapers and start sucking your thumbs. I feel like I’m visiting a strange planet with bizarre unexplainable customs. I’m beginning to wonder if the baseball stadiums are spiking the beer with lead. It’s just a bunch of overpaid guys whacking a ball with a stick and running around - Get a fucking grip. Hmmm…my rant needs more cuss words: shit, piss, pussy, ass, cock, tits, balls, Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/2 "2003-10-16T09:07:35Z")
I’ve never understood this, either, and it ain’t just baseball. It’s one thing to watch pro sports and enjoy the action, but it’s another thing entirely when the fans get emotionally involved in what’s going on. (Of course, if you’ve got big money riding on the outcome, it’s more understandable!) One year, the Redskins got knocked out of the playoffs, and a local TV reporter was interviewing fans in a bar, and one woman was in fucking _tears_ because the 'Skins had lost. How empty does your life have to be so that you feel the need to transfer all your hopes and dreams to a bunch of overpaid prima donnas playing games? “Oh, but it’s _our_ team!” How so? Do you own the team? Is the team composed of local boys, the children of your friends and neighbors? Well, maybe you feel close to them because the team owners managed to get your tax money to build them a stadium and give them a shitload of tax breaks, to boot. Pitiful. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/3 "2003-10-16T09:15:39Z")
“Baseball is life. The rest is just details.” It’s a lot of FUN to get all caught up in it. It’s FUN to follow a team. True, some folks go a bit overboard. But that’s true of any group really. But, as Bart Giamata said, baseball is designed to break your heart. You have to learn to accept that your team lost. My Dodgers have taught me to accept it. Hell, Cubs fans should be used to that by now. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/4 "2003-10-16T09:31:08Z")
**Early Out** , have you ever gotten emotionally caught up in a movie or TV show? How empty does your life have to be so that you feel the need to transfer all your hopes and dreams to a bunch of overpaid actors portraying fictional characters? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/5 "2003-10-16T09:41:16Z")
It’s a game and a little heightened emotions in the name of a game are all fine with me. As HowieReynolds points out, a lot of us get worked up about movies and TV shows. But _how_ worked up do most of us get over movies and stuff? I may shed a tear over a sad movie, but I’m pretty much over it in about 15 minutes if not less. And I’m a _big_ movie fan. I may develop a list of favorite movie stars, musicians, composers, etc., but I don’t get all that worked up over them and what they do as a general rule. I simply enjoy their work. It’s not the “getting swept away” with it that is so unusual–it’s _how far_ some people go with it. And judging by the threads on baseball, my guess is that some people (hell, _a lot_ of people) are _really_ getting swept away. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/6 "2003-10-16T09:45:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HowieReynolds \* > \*\ ***Early Out** , have you ever gotten emotionally caught up in a movie or TV show? > > How empty does your life have to be so that you feel the need to transfer all your hopes and dreams to a bunch of overpaid actors portraying fictional characters? \*\* An interesting question, that. Yeah, it does happen occasionally, though I’m pretty good at spotting, and resisting, emotional manipulation when I see it. Maybe the difference is that dramatic productions are carefully crafted to generate an emotional response, and over the years, those who produce them have gotten pretty good at it (compare more recent movies to very early movies - have you ever gotten choked up over a maudlin silent film? Probably not. They were just learning how to do it.). I suppose you could argue that pro sports are also structured in a manner designed to suck in the emotions of the audience, what with championship playoffs and the like. Hey, this is turning into a Great Debate! That’s not what **blowero** wanted at all. You were right, **blowero** , your OP needed more profanity! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/7 "2003-10-16T10:11:00Z")
It is, in fact, a pastime. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/8 "2003-10-16T10:28:48Z")
Ya know, **blowero** , I was just thinking the same thing (different cuss words, though) as my computer was booting up 'cause the Chi Tribune is my homepage & you’d think the world had stopped turning on its axis. It is kind of nice to see people’s capacity for emotion, especially when so many of them appear to be drones during the typical workday; but geez, can’t we get worked up over something that has a lasting import? Something substantial? Just yesterday I saw a headline about the Administration and its lies re: Iraq, and the story was like, oh yeah, people lied, ho hum, no big deal. I wish people could see that the good v. evil struggles of sports are an excerpt from real life, and not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/9 "2003-10-16T12:40:46Z")
Don’t have much passion in your life, eh? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/10 "2003-10-16T12:44:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > [BIt’s a lot of FUN to get all caught up in it. It’s FUN to follow a team. > > True, some folks go a bit overboard. But that’s true of any group really. \*\* Bingo, well said. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/11 "2003-10-16T12:45:35Z")
The guy that ruined the fly catch for the Cubs has round the clock police protection at his house. That, to me, is a sign that some fans go beyond reason. This guy is in fear for his _life_! Yes, he made a mistake, but in the grand scheme of things, is it really that important? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/12 "2003-10-16T12:52:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > \*\*The guy that ruined the fly catch for the Cubs has round the clock police protection at his house. > > That, to me, is a sign that some fans go beyond reason. This guy is in fear for his _life_! Yes, he made a mistake, but in the grand scheme of things, is it really that important? \*\* In the grand scheme of things is anything important? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/13 "2003-10-16T12:52:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > \*\*The guy that ruined the fly catch for the Cubs has round the clock police protection at his house. > > That, to me, is a sign that some fans go beyond reason. This guy is in fear for his _life_! Yes, he made a mistake, but in the grand scheme of things, is it really that important? \*\* Not to mention, the CUbs lost 8-3. 8 to 3! That’s not a close game, it’s a rout! Even IF we assume Moises Alou would’ve made the catch (and that’s far from a sure thing), a team that loses by 5 runs has no business blaming the loss on ANY one play. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/14 "2003-10-16T12:53:13Z")
It’s different for Cubs fans. We’re long suffering. We have a REAL ball park. Ernie Banks is our hero. Shit. I don’t even LIKE baseball (and I also think they’re overpaid crybabies) but when Cub fever takes over in Chicago, you can’t help but catch it. You’d have to be from Chicago to understand… ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/15 "2003-10-16T13:02:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > **have you ever gotten choked up over a maudlin silent film? Probably not. They were just learning how to do it.** A-_hem_. Just a slight hijack here, to advise that you rent, say, _Sunrise, Broken Blossoms_ or _Intolerance_ . . . OK. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/16 "2003-10-16T13:07:54Z")
Baseball isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s much more important than that. -Telemark, RedSox fan ---
**Author:** ![Qazzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@Qazzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qazzz)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/17 "2003-10-16T13:19:24Z")
What really boggles my mind is that the masses are obviously capable of being enthusiastic, proactive, and engaged in something – but that something happens to be A GAME. “That guy better not show his face in Chicago for the next 10 years,” and “I hope nobody kills him” are just some of the remarks I’ve heard about the guy trying to catch a ball Tuesday night. I don’t understand some Americans’ priorities… Where’s the rioting about Bush’s $87 billion request including $600 million to continue searching for non-existent WMD – the reason we invaded a country in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/18 "2003-10-16T13:49:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\* My Dodgers have taught me to accept it. \*\* YOUR Dodgers? Those are MY Dodgers. YOU are just borrowing them for a while. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/19 "2003-10-16T14:03:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > Baseball isn’t a matter of life and death. > > It’s much more important than that. > > -Telemark, RedSox fan You might want to google a very fine man by the name of Bill Shankley, and give credit where its due. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754/20 "2003-10-16T14:14:39Z")
Indeed. It’s a great quote, and not to be bastardised. CF Footie Fan 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-just-a-goddam-game/207754.md?page=2)