When sports adds to the stress

I’m a simple guy. I tend to watch a lot of sports.

I find that sports helps deal with a crazy world that often has a lot of bumps and bruises. For example, I’ve written in the past how I feel that the National Football League (American football for the uninitiated) is a lot like a soap opera. It’s all about the week to week stories and who is up and who is down.

Yes, I’m a fan of certain teams. However, it’s more than just a logo and color of the uniform of the team’s competing. Sports serves as a mental break from whatever might be bothering me at that particular moment.

Oh, life is always there. But sports is like a breath of fresh air. It offers a chance to withdraw and catch up. It makes me ready to face the next challenge. Lately though sports has been causing my pain. Here’s a few of my recent pet peeves:

—More, more, more. The National Football League and geniuses that run it continue to play around with the length of the schedule. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was recently quoted as saying he believes that the league is destined to expand the regular season once again, from 17 games to 18, calling the move the next “logical step.”

There is a precedent. The league expanded from 16 regular season games to 17 regular season games in March 2021. Football is very violent game. Can you imagine being a player and surviving an 18-game season?

The league thinks it’s giving fans more of what they want. In reality, they’re killing “the Golden Goose,” they’re the quality of the product. They’re going to turn off the very people they want to attract. My message to the geniuses: Just stop. You’re playing with fire.

—Worth every penny. The internet is an amazing thing. Unfortunately, it can also be a reminder that people can be jealous, mean, spiteful creatures. I read recently that the University of South Carolina extended the contract of women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley through 2029-30. The contract starts with an annual salary of $4 million, includes a $500,00 signing bonus and has annual increases, bringing the total value to more than $25 million.

Now no coach, male or female, is worth that kind of money. However in the world that we live in, Staley is a bargain. She has brought a ton of recognition and income to the University of South Carolina. She’s won three national championships and has had a record of success since taking over the program in 2008.

Of course, I happened to stumble across a hate-filled rant by some guy claiming that she’s not worth it. I don’t know a ton about Staley. I know she has Philadelphia roots and started her coaching career at Temple. I know even less about University of South Carolina. However, the guy’s aggressive, macho BS-filled rant bothered the heck out of me.

The rant was surrounded by a long stream of positive ones from both men and women. Yet, it still saddened me. We’ve come so far, but yet have so far to go. Ugh. Of course, I’m rooting now for South Carolina and Staley to win another National Championship this year.

—Playing by the rules. We need rules to live. They create a safe and fair environment for everyone. Rules provide clear guidelines and set expectations. They prevent chaos and guarantee that people are treated with respect. We need rules in life . . . and, well, we need them in sports too.

Lately though, sports has pulled me back from wherever I am. Horrible calls by the referees and umpires have caused my skin to crawl with anger and frustration. I feel like I’ve seen it everywhere, baseball, football, and basketball to name a few.

Los Angeles Laker great LeBron James takes an extra step on a lay-up. Of course, there’s no call. The refs let it pass. Kylian Mbappé with Real Madrid in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league, runs into the another player on the pitch. It’s a clear foul. Instead of calling the foul on Mbappé, the ref calls it on the other player, giving Mbappé back the ball. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes runs with the football. Two tacklers converge on him and he ducks at the last possible second. Right on cue, the referee gives Mahomes the call, calling an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the other team.

I’ve been frustrated lately by the blatant missed calls by referees and officials. They have a tough job. I’m not talking about the split second calls, but the ones that are blatant misses. The conspiracy theorists point to how the NFL wants Mahomes in the Super Bowl. They point out how things are rigged and how it’s a money grab. I have no idea on that. I just hate that my sense of right and wrong is being mocked.

Here’s to the rules. Let’s follow them. At least when it comes to sports.

Okay, I’m done venting. I just had to get these things off my chest.

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