No Super Bowl For Me.

People find it strange that I am not watching the Super Bowl, and even stranger that I don't know which teams are playing in it each year. Let me first point out that as a sport I love football. I played for several years and loved knowing that on Friday night I was not only going to be allowed to "hit" someone on school grounds, but was expected to. I get excited at the thought of my team fighting and battling to move that ball the last yard to the goal line or the first down marker, to stay alive for one more series. I love it because I have been there, but I don't like Pro football. Yes, I will sit and watch college games, I will sit and watch high school games, I will even go to the park on a Saturday afternoon and watch a 12 year game, but I won't watch the "pros" play a single down. I'm not prejudiced against football, I won't watch any pro sport, except rodeo.

The simple reason I don't watch sports at the professional level is I don't care to watch men be paid just because they are on a team. We sat and watched as the "Occupy Wall Street" movement tried to take hold on this country and some of us felt sorry for them, after all we as a country has raised our children to receive their rewards just because they were on the team. It was said during the movement that "We can't expect them to want everything handed to them, since they were taught they were no winners or losers in everything they attempted growing up."

We as a Country looked down on them because they didn't know how to go out and work hard, and earn what they wanted. We let them grow up thinking that if they went to college they would be "set" for life, that was all they would have to do is to get in college and get the degree. Why did we look down on them, when that is exactly how we treat our athletes? 

All across the country kids are growing in their sport with the idea that all they have to do is make it to the next level. The recreation departments across the country are filled with kids that will tell you, to be successful all they have to do is make the high school team, then make a college team, then make the draft, then make the money. They know if they ever make the draft that they will be handed a paycheck every payday, weather they step foot on the field or not.

I love to watch sports, but I don't like spending my time watching a player who is looking to his payday, or his next contract negotiations. That is the reason I don't watch the Super Bowl, or the World Series or any of it. I don't watch pro sports at all... well almost none of them. I said earlier I do watch Pro Rodeo.

The reason is simple, if you go to your local pro rodeo or turn on your t.v. and watch it, you will notice one thing not all of the competitors make their ride. Not every rough stock rider will ride, some will get bucked off. Not every timed event rider will make a clean run with out a penalty, they may break the barrier or knock a barrel over. Those riders are going to go home with out a paycheck. On a bad week they may compete several times and not win one single dime.

You may also see a rider make the ride of his life and finish in 6th place, and not get paid if they pay out to 5 places at that rodeo. Growing up I loved the Atlanta Braves, even though they stunk. I had a good record with them, they won every game I went to for years. I was a fan during the Dale Murphy/ Bob Horner years. I used to sit and the stands excited to see that number 3 come to the plate, was Murph' going to go deep? Was he going to bounce one off of Chief Knockahoma's teepee? As a youngster Murphy lived up to our expectations, he played. Bob Horner on the hand always seemed to disappoint us. We would get to the game and find that he had hurt a finger again and would be riding the pine one more time. I always knew I was tougher than he was since I could still play when my finger hurt. My point is as you are watching a rodeo have you ever noticed the guys that can't seem to walk, or that or wearing a cast or taped up climb onto the back of a bull?

The reason he "plays" hurt is because he knows there was no team bus or chartered plane to get him there and back home. The money spent to get to the show came out of his families' money, and if he doesn't ride and WIN he won't be getting a paycheck. How would you like to go to work and only get paid if you are the one that is the best? That is how it is every week with a rodeo cowboy.

If they started only paying the teams that win then sports in America would be something to watch.