Dog Days

The NBA Finals have come and gone, a blow out affair between the Lakers and the Magic, ending with Kobe Bryant taking home a 4th championship, and more importantly his first without Shaq. Football season is still in its training camp infancy, with Donte Stallworth's suspension the biggest news of the summer out of the NFL. Yawn. Baseball season is nearing its halfway mark, but lets not pretend like anyone cares. At least until October. So here we are, in the dog days of the sports season. With the NBA (LA Lakers) and the NHL(Pittsburgh Penguins) crowning their champions this past month, and the NFL still far from opening kick off, the sports landscape seems to be barren and devoid of any meaning for the time being. Right? And as baseball fans wait for October, NFL heads count down the days till opening kickoff, and hoop fanatics sit patiently for the NBA season to begin once again, presumably there are countless people out there in the world who are searching for an appropriate outlet for their sports fix.

(Just a personal theory, but seeing as crime seems to go up during these "dog days of summer" is there any reason to believe there is a correlation between the lack of major sports action and this presumed spike in crime?)

So maybe your average NFL, NBA, and MLB follower decides to try NASCAR during this summerlong "hiatus" of his preferred sports. NASCAR? Really? After 10,000 years of human civilization, watching a Chevrolet turn left for 4 hours is still the most popular spectator sport in the United States.

Golf? Yawn. Tennis? Nope. Poker? No thanks, not interested in seeing something anyone on Earth can theoretically do. Bowling? Are you serious?

So here we are then... talking about Cleveland Browns' WR Donte Stallworth's suspension, the "real reason" why T.O. left Dallas, and whether or not Ricky Rubio will get drafted by Memphis at the #2 spot in the upcoming NBA draft. This is precisely the type of complacency that eats away at the very fibers of modern civilization. For years and years this same tradition of an empty(and endlessly depressing) period of time, usually from about June to August, has existed in the world of sports. Combined with the traditional increase of everything from gas prices and police presence, this is a deadly combination for your average person, sports fan or not.


















Simply put something must be done about the "dog days of summer", especially in the world of sports. Without entertaining sports to watch, or be immersed in to use the correct terminology, a passionate sports fan during the winter and spring can become a shiftless wanderer, as one can only go to the pool or the movies so many times. In all seriousness, sports can bring a city or even nation together. It brings out the best of us, uniting very diverse groups of people under one purpose. The simple fact that two people may share a passion for a certain sports franchise can result in a truck driver from Indiana and a dentist from New Jersey to sit next to each other on a plane for hours engaged in conversation. Therein lies the power of sports.

And the power of sports can not be underestimated. (especially if you saw those "Go World" commercials by Nike.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9wV8AUe6_A