December 17, 2009

The BIG Mess

The next time I decide to write about 1,000 words or so about the time I decided to, oh, not read TWS for the past two years, or when I decide to not pay my electric bill until I think they're going to start noticing (just sent that shit in!), or something else that is completely inconsequential and otherwise boring, please remind me not to. And, in the future, let's extend the same courtesy to John Swansburg the next time he decides to write about the time he stopped being a sports fan.

Or something.

Swansburg's unconscious motivation for this entire quit-plan was an unconscious decision to just stop following the sports that he normally followed. That happens. And then, some months on, evidently utterly lacking content for some such article on deadline, he decided to rationalize his disinterest in sport by saying that the 24 hour news cycle of sports (or something) was way too overwhelming for his fandom, and that you have to follow sports in real-time or you somehow cause a disruption in the space-time continuum (making those who TIVO the Superbowl even more dangerous than that CERN ever was, maybe).

Having proof-read the above, I've now devoted a couple hundred words of pointless critique to something equally pointless, and will now stop; I suppose my problem is that I expected something worthwhile, from an otherwise always worthwhile news source.

Aside, big ups to the self described Norman Rockwell of Street Skating, Randall Ploesser on his TSM write-up about shredding at the City Museum; photos by Samuel Vincent McGuire Esquire. We need more self-deprecation in skateboarding these days.

I guess I'm throwing out more media criticism, its one of those days: Glenn Beck? That was easy.

Not that much more out there now that I've gotten them rants out the way; let it be known that the Chrome Ball is down with Tha Dolo. YOTD 4 starts in 14 days.

3 comments:

Scott said...

I read Swansburg's rationale for "quitting" sports. But I don't think its as simple as he makes it and he himself concedes he could fall back in to the fold of Boston sports fandom.

I don't believe him though. If he was as die hard a sports fan as he purports (of which I would say I am also) its really hard to just turn the switch off. I know you like the Wolves...a Minnesota team I have very little passion for where as I am a huge Minnesota Wild fan (a sport I don't think I've ever seen you write about) and although they are sucking this season and I haven't really followed them that intensely now that I live in California, I still follow them. To see them lose depresses me.

You can disengage from a team, but I don't believe that Swansburg really felt nothing.

I say we collaborate on a book and become millionaires.

Scott said...

Also am I the only one who reads the "Dear Prudence" column on Slate every week and more than 75 percent of the time feel as if she is giving terrible advice.

platinumseagulls said...

I was listening to the Slate sports podcast and they suggested the Swansburg write a book about his non-fandom...oh please! As for us, secure the advance, and I'm in.

I've never been into hockey; I've played maybe once and that was just about 20 years ago. I won't be ranting about the Wild anytime soon.