There are plenty of crazy sports out there these days. It just seems to be getting stranger and weirder. Once you think you've witnessed the weirdest sport possible, you'll tune into a sports station one day and see something which takes the cake (probably a cake-eating sport). While not so long ago it seemed strange to watch billiards on television, the extent things have led to in today's world makes hitting a few spheres around with pool cues look incredibly conservative. Why have sports come to this? What is it about the style in which we live that makes us think such crazy sports would be interesting?
One such game that actually has its own program is that of hot-dog eating. This is absolutely true. The show consists of one guy (or girl) standing at a podium with a plate full of hot-dogs, and trying to eat as many as he can until the time runs out. There's a crowd cheering the competitor on, and commentators talking about strategies used by the "sportsmen" to achieve their wanted goal without throwing up. Half of the challenge tends to land with the viewer, who'll likely also be battling a case of nausea after watching this show for too long.
Another sport that has gained an ever-increasing level of popularity is that of poker. While there's no doubting that it's more interesting to watch and requires more technique and mental prowess than hot-dog consuming, it's still strange to watch an hour-long show purely based on people playing cards. In years to come, will we be viewing the solitaire Olympics? How will we tell who's winning?
These new games are funny to watch, but they're also a bit disconcerting to see. In ancient times, sport was often something that was actually a life and death scenario for those playing, and the fact is sport was created by the elites of a nation was to keep people looking away from the problems of their country, such as the corruption of their government. Have sports really gotten any better since then? Okay, so nobody's getting killed, but people are seriously damaging their health if they're willing to eat as much as fifteen hotdogs within the space of a few minutes. And mixed-martial arts boxing hasn't even been mentioned.
It may be possible that just like the ancient Greeks, governments of today like their people to take a keen interest in sports at the cost of taking an interest in the way their country is run. Certainly this is the case in Brazil, where massive levels of poverty and corruption are rife throughout the political system. The response by those in power isn't to fix these problems, but to focus money and attention on getting the football team to the World Cup every four years. Perhaps it's time we took a step back and looked at the way we treat sport in this society. While a little distraction can be a good thing, there's no need to gain an interest in a sport that's ridiculous, or to lose focus on our lives and start to think sport is the most vital thing of all. - 31485
One such game that actually has its own program is that of hot-dog eating. This is absolutely true. The show consists of one guy (or girl) standing at a podium with a plate full of hot-dogs, and trying to eat as many as he can until the time runs out. There's a crowd cheering the competitor on, and commentators talking about strategies used by the "sportsmen" to achieve their wanted goal without throwing up. Half of the challenge tends to land with the viewer, who'll likely also be battling a case of nausea after watching this show for too long.
Another sport that has gained an ever-increasing level of popularity is that of poker. While there's no doubting that it's more interesting to watch and requires more technique and mental prowess than hot-dog consuming, it's still strange to watch an hour-long show purely based on people playing cards. In years to come, will we be viewing the solitaire Olympics? How will we tell who's winning?
These new games are funny to watch, but they're also a bit disconcerting to see. In ancient times, sport was often something that was actually a life and death scenario for those playing, and the fact is sport was created by the elites of a nation was to keep people looking away from the problems of their country, such as the corruption of their government. Have sports really gotten any better since then? Okay, so nobody's getting killed, but people are seriously damaging their health if they're willing to eat as much as fifteen hotdogs within the space of a few minutes. And mixed-martial arts boxing hasn't even been mentioned.
It may be possible that just like the ancient Greeks, governments of today like their people to take a keen interest in sports at the cost of taking an interest in the way their country is run. Certainly this is the case in Brazil, where massive levels of poverty and corruption are rife throughout the political system. The response by those in power isn't to fix these problems, but to focus money and attention on getting the football team to the World Cup every four years. Perhaps it's time we took a step back and looked at the way we treat sport in this society. While a little distraction can be a good thing, there's no need to gain an interest in a sport that's ridiculous, or to lose focus on our lives and start to think sport is the most vital thing of all. - 31485
