For Me, Less Really IS More
July 13th 2009 23:23
Have you ever experienced too much of a good thing? Ever found something you really loved, consumed/used a disproportionate amount of it, then lost all desire or attraction to it to the point that you can't tolerate it anymore? I've gone this route with being in the sun, Fresh & Easy burritos, Pop Tarts, video games, and Pokemon cards in the past. Sometimes these things go in cycles and you rediscover your love for them, sometimes they are never the same after the burnout.
I fear I'm reaching this Saturation Point with sports. Don't get me wrong, I love sports as much as the next fanatic, and my passion hasn't waned. I simply feel like I'm overexposed to constant news, games, analysis. Some of this, admittedly, is self-induced. OK, most of it is self-induced. Regardless, the result is the same.
I recently realized while watching one of the countless games of my hometown Angels that this single game was absolutely meaningless and irrelevant to me and my memory. They play so many games every year and I watch such a huge amount of them that its next to impossible for this one game to have significance to me.
This wasn't the initial realization of its kind for me. Almost exactly a month ago, my beloved Lakers won their 15th NBA title and first in 7 torturous seasons. My team is finally back on top of the world, finally realizing everyone's championship predictions and expectations. Kobe Bryant is finally vindicated and validated, Phil Jackson is finally triumphant over Red Auerbach, and Shaq finally looks like the idiot parasite that he is instead of Kobe.
Yet this landmark event in my sports history is barely memorable and surprisingly hollow. They won Game 5 to clinch the title and I didn't really react beyond a slight mood spike and a few fist pumps. Other than that, life went on for me unchanged. Very little competitive satisfaction has been derived from the Laker title. Watching the parade back in LA, I saw a sea of fans decked out in Laker gear, screaming jubilantly, following their heroes in stifling southern California heat in manifestation of their joy. I couldn't help but feel like a subpar and weak fan. But more thought and game-watching has shown me that I've simply reached a point where a small amount of my sports consumption is memorable and significant.
I've resolved to check my iPhone sports app less, avoid leaving ESPNEWS on in the background, watch the SportsCenter for the third time in a row, and monitor my fantasy teams less. I'm fasting these things in hope that some of the joy and memorability of sports will return to me.
I fear I'm reaching this Saturation Point with sports. Don't get me wrong, I love sports as much as the next fanatic, and my passion hasn't waned. I simply feel like I'm overexposed to constant news, games, analysis. Some of this, admittedly, is self-induced. OK, most of it is self-induced. Regardless, the result is the same.
I recently realized while watching one of the countless games of my hometown Angels that this single game was absolutely meaningless and irrelevant to me and my memory. They play so many games every year and I watch such a huge amount of them that its next to impossible for this one game to have significance to me.
This wasn't the initial realization of its kind for me. Almost exactly a month ago, my beloved Lakers won their 15th NBA title and first in 7 torturous seasons. My team is finally back on top of the world, finally realizing everyone's championship predictions and expectations. Kobe Bryant is finally vindicated and validated, Phil Jackson is finally triumphant over Red Auerbach, and Shaq finally looks like the idiot parasite that he is instead of Kobe.
Yet this landmark event in my sports history is barely memorable and surprisingly hollow. They won Game 5 to clinch the title and I didn't really react beyond a slight mood spike and a few fist pumps. Other than that, life went on for me unchanged. Very little competitive satisfaction has been derived from the Laker title. Watching the parade back in LA, I saw a sea of fans decked out in Laker gear, screaming jubilantly, following their heroes in stifling southern California heat in manifestation of their joy. I couldn't help but feel like a subpar and weak fan. But more thought and game-watching has shown me that I've simply reached a point where a small amount of my sports consumption is memorable and significant.
I've resolved to check my iPhone sports app less, avoid leaving ESPNEWS on in the background, watch the SportsCenter for the third time in a row, and monitor my fantasy teams less. I'm fasting these things in hope that some of the joy and memorability of sports will return to me.
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