# Pandemic shows us we need less sports not more. Thoughts? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 12, 2020, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627 "2020-05-12T04:28:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/21 "2020-05-13T18:36:01Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > My life would be much better if Baseball was back. Especially in the time of Corona I could use a break every evening to watch the Dodgers play. Even if I was still stuck working at home half-time, a day game on the radio would be lovely right about now. Not even really listening to the game, just having it in the background. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/22 "2020-05-13T19:53:51Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The author certainly is a smug jackass. I hope he didn’t hurt himself straining his neck looking down at the unwashed. > > Obviously, this isn’t a 9/11. We don’t have a week without sports and then they’re back. Say wha? You realize Norman Chad is a sportswriter right and appears on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption from time to time? And this is a Sports Humor column that he writes for WaPo? What is with you and the strange hot takes? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/23 "2020-05-13T20:20:51Z")
> [@littleFootDuck](#): > > I know more than a few people who have video games as a central pillar in their “self identity.” For some reason they take an antagonistic attitude towards traditional sports. It makes no sense to me as the two things are largely unrelated but I have seen this several times now. I’m a longtime gamer (both video games and tabletop role-playing games), as well as being a sports fan, and I do sometimes see the “sports are stupid” attitude among my fellow gamers (though it’s by no means universal). My suspicion is that the attitude comes from two related factors: 1. Some gamers are (and always have been) non-athletes, weren’t good at participating in sports when they were in school, and never became fans of sports. 2. Many of us who were non-athletic nerds in school were regularly teased and bullied by our classmates, many of whom were, themselves, jocks and sports fans. The combination of the two probably left a very bad impression of sports, and the people who like sports, in their minds. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/24 "2020-05-13T21:15:25Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Even if I was still stuck working at home half-time, a day game on the radio would be lovely right about now. Not even really listening to the game, just having it in the background. I’m sure I speak for my fellow cricket-loving dopers when I say that the loss of “Test Match Special” is a big, big loss. part of the soundtrack to my summer days and winter nights. Balm for the soul it is. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/25 "2020-05-14T18:09:18Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > People who rant about sports seem to believe that life is a zero sum game, that every second and dollar spent on sports could’ve gone to curing cancer or helping the homeless or writing a great novel. I think it’s because of seeing stuff like high schools building multimillion dollar stadiums at the expense of their textbook budget > > Of course, by that logic, a whole range of human endeavor becomes harmful to civilization at large, including stuff that the authors probably enjoy themselves. This take reminds me of a quote by Stan Lee of Marvel Fame that basically says “Don’t be embarrassed to work in entertainment, people need entertainment or else they’ll go crazy and it’s just as valuable as any other walk of life.” I actually think about this quote a lot and think it rings very true, especially nowadays. Sports falls into this category too. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/26 "2020-05-14T18:27:40Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m sure I speak for my fellow cricket-loving dopers when I say that the loss of “Test Match Special” is a big, big loss. part of the soundtrack to my summer days and winter nights. Balm for the soul it is. The fact that Shaheen Afridi was going to rip through your overrated Top-order this summer as Wasim Akram used to, means that for your its probably a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/27 "2020-05-14T18:32:48Z")
What really grates me as a sports fan is that this was going to be such a great year for sports. Olympics, Euro2020, T20 Cricket World Cup, plus of course the Tennis and F1. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/28 "2020-05-14T19:36:14Z")
I don’t know about “need” but I can see an effect of the casual watchers, who had gravitated towards sports as an easily accessible way to fill the time, might be getting out of the habit, by being forced to find other things, and may never come back. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/29 "2020-05-15T07:27:28Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The fact that Shaheen Afridi was going to rip through your overrated Top-order this summer as Wasim Akram used to, means that for your its probably a good thing. After the last year’s cricket I’d steer clear of confident predictions of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/30 "2020-05-15T07:40:51Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > After the last year’s cricket I’d steer clear of confident predictions of any kind. True. Rumours are that the Test series may be on with “rigorous safety measures”? It would be surreal to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/31 "2020-05-15T07:46:35Z")
Esports are doing well. [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://time.com/5812633/esports-coronavirus/%3Famp%3Dtrue&ved=2ahUKEwj1gN-KsLXpAhVEsZ4KHaZrBQ0QFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw2z61BNIYV844\_Fto-TkXOk&cf=1](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://time.com/5812633/esports-coronavirus/%3Famp%3Dtrue&ved=2ahUKEwj1gN-KsLXpAhVEsZ4KHaZrBQ0QFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw2z61BNIYV844_Fto-TkXOk&cf=1) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/32 "2020-05-15T09:53:47Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > What really grates me as a sports fan is that this was going to be such a great year for sports. > Olympics, Euro2020, T20 Cricket World Cup, plus of course the Tennis and F1. And Liverpool winning the Premier League. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/33 "2020-05-15T10:30:39Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > And Liverpool winning the Premier League. That was one small mercy in all of this. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627/34 "2020-05-15T11:16:20Z")
Over the past decade or so, I’ve become increasingly detached from spectator sports for a variety of reasons. But in a world where even the fight (or lack thereof) against a worldwide pandemic has been politicized and polarized to a fare-thee-well, sports would be a hell of a pleasant escape from all that. The crack of the bat would be music to my ears right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic-shows-us-we-need-less-sports-not-more-thoughts/853627.md?page=1)