Annual Handegg Tournament

It only makes sense people.

I am not a fan of sports.  Sure every few years I get caught up in the excitement of the Olympic games, but that's mostly because it's incredible to see the whole world come together like that and also because I love classical history so I'm a fan of anything reminiscent of ancient Greece. [Aside:  I was in Greece this summer and was able to visit Olympus, the site of the original Olympic games (although other sites such as Delphi offered their own version of the athletic gathering).  It was absolutely awe-inspiring; actually the whole trip was incredible, I was breathless for pretty much the entire 17 days.  If you haven't been to Greece, but it on your bucket list - it is absolutely my favourite place in the whole world, especially the islands.]  Aside from the Olympic frenzy, I just cannot get interested in sporting events.  I've been taken out to NBA, PGA and MLB games, but I remained unimpressed and felt guilty for sitting there distracting myself with my phone or a novel when die-hard fans could have attended the games in my stead. 

In all honesty, I don't see point in rushing around chasing after a ridiculous little object and taking a beating in the process.  Why would you sign yourself up for that?  Mind you, I was a dancer, a skater and a (competitive not sports) cheerleader so I am no stranger to self-inflicted pain and probably have no right to criticize.  At least my athletic pursuits were creative though, you can watch and see the story being told, the raw emotion, the artistry.  You can't find that in hockey and football, or maybe I'm not looking hard enough.  The irony is that my mother was actually a professional cheerleader for football, so she positively adores the game, and has tried in vain for the entirety of my life to get me as excited about it as she is ... sorry Mamma. 

So, last night was the forty-something-th Superbowl.  My mom was rooting on San Francisco for some highly technically reason, while I decided to lend my feeable support to the Ravens, because I learned from a news show that Michael Oher, of The Blindside notoriety, was on that team.  It was a wonderful, deeply emotional movie ... so yeah, that's my very scientific method of choosing a team.

I skipped most of the show, popped in for the half-time performance, and a few 'stunning' playback moments, and was pleasantly surprised when 'my team' took home the trophy.  Mainly because it was really funny to tease my mom about, but also because I was happy for Oher and the Tuohy family. Aside from that, my most overriding reaction was shock at the absolutely, positively, absurd amount of money that gets poured into a single sports game ... I can think of at least a hundred better uses of that cash.  Wow...

- H

P.S. Like a true nerd, I had a good laugh at this tweet regarding last night's game:

P.P.S.  Although I do not like watching sports, I can appreciate their intrinsic value (I have done research on the numerous benefits of recreational therapy), and I also support athleticism in terms of staying healthy and in tune with your own body.