As soon as the NBA finals are over, I take a three-month hiatus from watching ESPN.
The reason for me, a devoted ESPN viewer, to stop is simple. I cannot stand summer sports. Whether it is baseball, soccer or NASCAR, the high-excitement level is gone.
To transition from a fast-moving sport such as basketball to the snail pace of baseball is agonizing. I understand baseball is considered “America’s Sport” and is right up there with the Fourth of July and fireworks. I have tried hard to watch it, I really have, but once they reach the second inning, I am already looking at the guide to see what else is on television.
While sometimes baseball can be fast paced, most of the time it is not. When you include walks and foul balls, it seems like an endless process.
When a batter goes up to the plate, the odds of him hitting the ball is slim. If he does hit the ball, it seems it is out of bounds. At the end of the game, which in itself seems to never end, both teams walk off the field with a low score, ranging from one to eight points, and that is considered good.
Soccer, unlike baseball, is a fast sport with close calls in scores and aggression on the field. While there are good sides to soccer, there are also some flaws.
First, the fact that a whole 90-minute game can go by without either team scoring is horrible. Then the teams have to participate in a shoot out, where one team wins just because the team can finally score. If that doesn’t work, the officials call a tie. That is right—a tie. Ties should not be allowed in sports. You have a winner, and you have a loser. The teams should have to play until someone scores.
Then there is NASCAR, which is probably the fastest sport there is. It can be exciting when there are crashes or when a car tire blows. However, I do not consider 50 men driving cars a sport. I am sure they have to be in good shape to handle a car for that long, holding their hands on the steering wheel for 500 miles. The fact that the race lasts 500 miles is the problem I have with it. Sometimes there is not even a crash to entertain the crowd during the race.
While the athletes who participate in these varied sports work hard to stay in shape and love the games they play, I just cannot watch them on TV. While I am dreading June, I know many sports fans are excited. I wish them the best while they try to stay awake watching their sports. As for me, well ESPN, I will see you again in September.
