The Evils of Pro Sports

by Yishai Fleisher

While watching the climactic moment of the 1990 Super Bowl, I got down on my knees and prayed that Scott Norwood would miss the field goal and give my beloved Giants the victory. Back then winters belonged to the Rangers and summers were the domain of the Mets. But people change and so do their values. With maturity, a person no longer takes the status quo for granted; he begins to think about his finite existence and his role on this God-given earth. My thinking has changed, and because of this I see the evils inherent in being a spectator of professional sports. (I am not referring to playing sports, which promotes healthy competition and physical fitness). Although many of you are sports fans, I ask you to keep an open mind to the opinions expressed in this article.

The question is, what are we supporting when we watch and follow pro sports? Are these the values of our people or our faith? And do we want to be seen as encouraging the growth of these institutions?

We Jews have a concept of Bitul Torah. This injunction speaks against wasting time in the face of the magnificent body of works that one must master in order to become a sage. The idea of wasting time as sinful need not be a religious injunction, nor even a Jewish one. Time is precious, and the little time we have on this Earth must be used properly. When one is in the act of being a fan, he is not in the act of tikkun olam (the betterment of this world).

Ecclesiastics (Kohelet) speaks with great pain about the circularity of life. Kohelet points to the seasons as an example of this circularity. Similarly, one can be certain that nothing is more circular then the seasons of sports. When the dust settles onto the previous year's memories, play resumes yet again. True victory and supremacy is never achieved, due to pro sports' inherently ephemeral nature. Indeed, the circular aspect of sports coupled with its utter unproductiveness makes it a powerful example of "hevel havalim" (vanity of vanities), a recurring ordeal of senseless motions.

Some might say that sports teaches youth to strive for achievement and excellence. Please! Pro sports teaches laziness on the couch and in the classroom and the importance of sneakers over people's lives. My favorite thing is when Jews tell me that sports has been around since the Greeks. Since when do we side with the Greeks?! As I recall, sports involvement was considered a sign of assimilation in those times. Many have told me that they find sports relaxing. However, relaxation need not be totally devoid of constructiveness, of which pro sports totally is. This method of relaxation, that is, a complete nullification of brain function, is a relatively new thing. Ask your rabbis and your teachers what they used to do to relax. They'll tell you: we played ball, we read books, we listened to music. A lost culture indeed.

What boggles my mind most is the amount of money involved. I cannot say with good conscience that sports are a deserving outlet for your hard-earned money. Yes my friends, this world is filled with tragedy and sorrow, even within our midst. Need I remind you that there are people in our community who rely on street charity to survive. PRIORITIES!!! What about salaries? In our economically driven society a salary is a sign of respect. It therefore follows, that respect in this country is bestowed upon people who's main contribution is dribbling a ball. How can we as Jews be party to such a ludicrous misappropriation of money?

And don't we know who we should emulate and call "hero?" I have never heard Michael Jordan, one of the most influential people in the world, say anything of significance. ("Just do it" doesn't count.) This man has incredible influence on this nation and its youth, yet he remains nothing but a freak exhibitionist with no evident moral backbone. Instead of using his fame as an platform for good, Michael Jordan's next great contribution will be to showcase his awkward golf skills. In short, Jordan flies like a bird and thinks like one as well. Truly a role model for Jewish youth.

Being a fan of pro sports is the epitome of passivity. Either at the game or at home, the fan is essentially a cheerleader of his or her respective team. Though he has no real role in the team (other then sponsoring them) he meticulously follows their ups and their downs, crying at the bitterness of defeat and rejoicing in the ecstasy of victory. The Fan is concerned (read: wastes his time) for his team's welfare, and is patient (read: sits around getting fat and dumb while watching others run back and forth) with them when they are not playing up to par (read: not getting paid enough).

Do you guys ever wonder what your doing? Do you ever just think about the fact that you have fallen for a marketing ploy which capitalizes on your laziness, by providing constant action in the form of visual stimulation? Let's get this straight: you are not a participant in the game, you are a cat watching someone else play with a ball of yarn, watching it go back and forth. But here's the good side: you are stimulating the economy by paying good money for the pleasure of uselessness. You're wasting precious time watching commercials subliminally telling you that you need need need, want want want. So not only do sports make you stupider, they also make you poorer. (This last point may be contended, since I am sure some yiddin here at YU have figured out how to make a buck off this chazarai.)

Let's take all that wasted time and put it to use. Let's have longer conversations; let's study an instrument; let's play more ball; let's meditate; let's study more Torah; lets read great books; let's reconquer the grass and Amsterdam Avenue; let's study the Zen art of archery, let's clean up the park, let's do something!!! But let us not fall into the hands of apathy and slothfulness. Throw off the yoke of sports and don the wings of life.