Media Fears

The current fear topic dominating the media is Swine Flu. This topic of “fear” is not meant to belittle the legitimate concerns of medical professionals or those of the public at large. But it hopes to point out that the blatant headlines and feature stories capping the television news programs are usually those that spread doom, disaster and depression across the land. One need take a view from afar of such exclamatory news flashes and viewer enticing tales.

I have lived long enough to remember the bold headlines in the 30s that detailed the crash of the stock market and the newsboys cries of horror on Wall Street as he peddled the morning papers. So mesmerizing was the fear spreading across the nation that people committed suicide rather than face the future. Those victims who found their stock dropping to ridiculous lows should have held on a couple of years and lived to enjoy the rich rewards that followed. Fear multiplies itself. It is worse than any invading virus can be in the effect upon lives and fortunes. And, usually, we find our worst fears are as ephemeral as ghosts. There are 15 New Cases of Swine Flu in California cries out the morning headline. Wow! Following story doesn’t bother to mention that it is flu season and we can expect thousands of cases of some kind of flu. Actually the cases mentioned were of those who had only mild symptoms and all recovered. Sore throats and stuffy noses. The many deaths in Mexico reported were not all connected to the virus.

I also remember the terror that swept the northeastern states when a radio broadcast meant to present a fictional drama by Orson Wells caused a panic. His dramatic weekly episode featured an invasion of earth by Martians. And at least twice during the broadcast it was stated that the presentation was fiction. I actually listened to that broadcast and thoroughly enjoyed it. But, many people packed up and fled their homes in terror.

In the 1960s or 70s there was the warning spread across the nation by the media that a substance found in cranberries could cause cancer. Did this help anyone? No, but it virtually put those who depended on producing and selling cranberries out of business. The warning turned out to be an exaggeration of test findings.

What about the slow death that was promised those who lived in houses invaded by the deadly gas radon? Yes, this earth element was seeping into homes and threatening lives; and, almost every home had its presence. It was advised that you should have your home tested. Again, people reacted to the fear headlines.

Here in Sacramento the media began the fear mongering of the danger of earthquakes. Playing off the quakes that shook the Bay Area, a program of quake-proofing our public schools and buildings was begun. Who profited? Contractors, of course. I watched some beautiful buildings be torn down and replaced by hum-drum squat buildings, taking away some beauty of our city. Well, after spending over ¾ of a century in this city I have experienced only one handful of earthquakes. Damage done? Some cans fell off grocery shelves and out of home cupboards. We live in a flat valley with no fault lines below and a river bottom of hard clay as our foundation. I know about earthquakes elsewhere as I lived on top of some in Southern California and near an active volcano in the north. I don’t worry about earthquakes in Sacramento.

Our current fears are encouraged to grow by the present flu scare and of course the danger of drowning in super floods. Yes, we have floods here and need to keep our levies repaired. But, watch out for that 100 year flood that will turn us all into Noahs. The media is slacking off now about floods because summer is approaching; so, we begin the draught fears. There may be snow in the mountains but tests show that it is the low-water bearing kind. (?) Folsom lake is very low now. Why is that scary? I remember walking across that land before the lake was formed. Can’t get any lower than that. I also can travel a short distance and watch two great rivers come together after flowing through our city. They have been doing that since before the days of the first American explorers reached our valley. Water shortage? I hear it every year. We should pay normal attention to all these valid concerns but “fear,” I am - - - - -
Just Sayin'

A View of Sports

I recently wrote of my lifetime love of sports but neglected to elucidate on my own view of what I consider to be true sports. I think my own evaluation of whether a pastime is a sport or just a game is based on whether or not there is a physical competition in play that comprises an athletic ability of some serious kind. The competition need not be restricted to competing against others but could be against oneself as in a timed event or an athletic ‘best.”

Within those parameters then I do not consider Golf a sport. It is a game. You try to hit the ball to a certain area and get it in a hole in the fewest amount of club swings. It can be played sufficiently well by anyone - - whether 90 yrs. old or a pre-teen. Jack Nicholson could still beat any average golfer. My grandson was a serious player at the age of 9 yrs. You can be fat (some pro golfers are) or tiny as some young women are who play with the pros. No athletic prowess is required.

Bowling is not a sport. It is a game. The fact that one may compete against others does not make it a sport. I was on a bowling team that included a man in his late 80s and he did very well. Children can bowl in competition.

The same criteria apply to games such as curling, pancake racing, dart board, pinball, horse shoes, chess and checkers. You may be a champion at any of these or the world’s best; however, you are not necessarily an athlete or participating in a sport.

By the same token I do count as sports the following: marathon running; track and field events; weight lifting; most Scottish Games events; bicycle racing; NASCAR racing; ping pong; volley ball; and, events that require athletic ability to be good at the sport. Some, such as professional wrestling, I consider sports even though they are merely exhibitions. Like tumbling and acrobatics it requires great athletic skill to perform. And I do consider hockey a sport although I sometimes wonder why the rules permit the violence of fist-fighting while other respectable sports severely punish such infractions. In basketball and even football such encounters require immediate rejection from the contest accompanied by monetary fines. But, there is no doubt that to play hockey professionally one must be very athletic. In the photo above is a classic example of a legend in that sport. Claude Lemieux, a New Jersey player who has returned to this sport at the age of 43 and was the participant in 3 Stanley Cup championships. He may not be pretty to look at but he is still a wonder to watch on the ice. Maybe they should wear boxing gloves instead of hockey gloves but - - - I am

Just Sayin’

Sports Mania

I am a sports fan. But, apparently, most Americans are also. I watched on TV the NCAA college basketball tournament each day as the field of 64 was narrowed down to the “Final Four” and then the championship game on Monday night, April 6th when the University of North Carolina “Tar Heels” defeated the “Spartans” of Michigan State. Present at this game were about 73,000 fans. That’s more than the population of a great many cities in the U.S. It is more than three times the population of the city I moved from in Arizona, and I thought that place was getting crowded.

My love affair with sports began when I was in grade school and played soccer and soft ball. I was small and fast and found I could compete in those sports as well as track events. Then I began to see the great prize fights of the day when title fights were shown on screen during the Saturday movie matinees. Does anyone still remember the double feature movies, the cartoons, and the Flash Gordon spaceman weekly chapters offered each Saturday for the price of one dime? I listened to radio broadcasts of boxing matches from the early Joe Louis contests until the present. I also attended wrestling matches from the age of 7 on Monday nights at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. It took awhile for me to realize that these were actually just exhibitions of athleticism.

My sports interests grew and eventually included most categories. With the advent of television I was able to watch pro football and basketball games; the college teams competing in all sports and became a devoted fan of soccer (called football in the rest of the world) and the teams in Britain’s Premier League and the leagues in Germany, France and Spain. Sports events put life on the big stage, providing (as TV has often put it) the triumph of victory and the tragedy of defeat. We can follow and become emotionally attached to the teams or individuals that compete. As in the basketball tournament mentioned above, I became a fan and follower of the teams from North Carolina and Duke Universities many years ago. Perhaps because I was an extension student of No. Carolina and had a friend who graduated from Duke. I remember sending a “Tar Heel” team cap to my daughter once who thought it was “cool.”

Crowds of 75,000 to 90,000 plus are not unusual in attendance at college football games. Major league baseball attracts 30,000 and up for games that are played almost daily. The big events such as the Kentucky Derby ( I attended in 1943), the Masters golf tournament, the Super Bowl, pro-basketball championship, NASCAR championship, the Indy 500, and other title events are always sold out. Pay-for-Vue now rakes in millions for title boxing matches, the martial arts competitions, and selected premium events. Yes, there is a sports mania across America. Maybe not everyone is so involved but I am
Just Sayin’