Please, there are more important things in this world than baseball, the World Series, and the supposed manager that has the Midas’ touch to win it. There’s a whole world out there full of people in serious situations that need real attention – more than the sports personas, television and movie stars already basking in the sometimes undeserved fame and wealth we obsessed fans have afforded them.
If we devote even one-eighth of the time we spend obsessing over these people to helping out in some worthy cause, the world would be so much better. Heck, If we devote a small fraction of that time in self-evaluation and improvement, then we wouldn’t need these supposed heroes and role models to look up to, because our self-esteem would be healthy enough to only look up to people whose contributions really make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
I mean – how many people really cared if Brad Pitt called Jennifer Aniston to tell her about Angelina Jolie’s pregnancy before the announcement was made? Come on, people. Enough already.
Sure, we need some entertainment in our lives. It shouldn’t take over our whole lives though. There are other, more important things to think about.
--oOo--
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3 comments:
I'm not in Boston and don't know how frequently you are bombarded with Theo news reporting on the "Theo Factor"..it's probably pretty bad. I do feel I have to say something though because he does have a big local impact that is overlooked in this blog entry.
I'm not saying that sports or baseball is everything and I'm not saying that Theo Epstein should be the king of media. There is a reason for his airtime though...
There's two factors to consider here: Local economy and history.
Theo Epstein has an impact on the local economy. The city of Boston has one of the highest per capita incomes among major league cities. The Red Sox spend over $100 million dollars on their players. They give over $25 million to the city to use the stadium. The amount of revenue generated outside of the park is in the billions of dollars. If the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics did not have a tradition of winning seasons Boston would be like Jamestown: A town with a lot of history and not much else going on....which means not many jobs, low housing prices, possibility of higher crime. Theo Epstein is one guy that has impact on factors that continue to make Boston what it is. So whether this one guy stays or leaves sways the local economy to some extent. Cities have sport teams for a reason, they aren't stupid. It generates a TON of money. The amount of that money hinders on the entertainment factor of the team..the biggest factor is winning. Theo Epstein is a winner. I'm not saying that having a sports team is a requirement for a thriving city, but it sure helps.
Don't believe me? Here's an example:
When hockey had a strike, all the local businesses in San Jose went to crap because no hungry hockey fans lined the streets. Some businesses couldn't weather the storm and had to leave. The news covered it and local economist chimed in with the financial impact..even local cops had a take on how much more crime there would be. If that strike spanned a decade I can promise you all businesses around the area would have to leave. This would make San jose one of those deserted scary neighborhoods. A lof of jobs would be lost, a lot of families would leave, property value would drop.
Keep in mind Theo is part of baseball history being the youngest GM in the history of baseball. I think he also has a place in American History being how enamored the US is with baseball. That makes for HUGE HUGE local news. During baseball season I see Barry Bonds on my screen everyday when I get out of the shower. Although I like Barry Bonds,I get tired of him fast. There is a good reason why he's on my tv though.
-Dan
I knew that if someone was going to be weighing in, it would be you, dude!
Thanks for making me look beyond the seeming senseless adulation. I guess he is a factor in helping the local economy. I just get so tired of hearing about him and the amount of oxygen he inhales.
While admiration for others who do good things is great, it often frustrates me how misplaced it can be at times.
One example is when Princess Diana died, she got all the media coverage. Mother Teresa, who died in the same week, hardly got any, just special mentions, if any.
Thanks again. I won't feel so bad seeing Theo again on TV tonight and tomorrow, and the day after...
hahaha. Ya I couldn't help say something about theo.
Oh man, I'm totally with you on that Princess Diana / Mother Teresa thing. That drives me nuts. It bothers me how tv covers a lot of topics I consider "crap". I probably shouldn't watch so much tv but I enjoy it waaaay to much to shut it off. By now I think I would consider Theo news crap even though he rules my favorite American League baseball team.
On top of local morning news, both Victoria and I will sit there and watch like a whole decade of "I love the 80's" or some type of E! red carpet review on the weekend. I totally get sucked in.
-Dan
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