The Daily Cow

Truth be told that we live in a depressing contemporary society. Heads cringe at each cent added to the gas prices, eyes flail at every package put into Iraq, and more families come home knowing that their dollar is worth less and less. What used to be a nice fish on the table is now a nice loaf of bread. Who knows what will be on the table every subsequent day.

I would argue that some of the most innocent things left in today's world lies in the innocence of sports. You may counter by saying that there is none left there either. Understandably, while steroids and performance enhanced drugs have tainted the performance of athletes whom we thought were good, the true innocence lies in the simplicity of the game itself. The innocence lies in the fact that no matter how many weird things happen, no matter how many points, runs, goals, and touchdowns are scored, there is always a winner and a loser. The clarity is just not seen elsewhere, in politics, economics or finance, where there is always a story behind every storyline. And yes, I have had Jinghao laugh at me for this, and he probably thinks I don't delve deep enough: But alas, I read my news -- I just don't wish to read it to the point where I'm numbed by everything. To a degree, most of it just feels the same.

Perhaps this is why I find myself wandering to the sports section of the newspaper and Yahoo! everyday before reading the other news. There's always a sense of clarity and stability. Sure, my San Francisco Giants lose more than they win, and probably won't score enough runs to count for anything, but at least they play, and the put their heart in it. There is fairness to the fact that someone may have dropped a ball, grounded into a double play, or struck out to end the game. It just feels like there is a lack of that in politics. George W. Bush may want to extend the war in Iraq, and just sacrifices -- or rather, throws a bunch more soldiers and our tax money in it. That, is not fair.

Suffice to say, the most innocent of all of this is probably kids around the age of 10 playing sports. There is no money on the line, no endorsements to fight for, division title and incentive packages, and no need to play for a top pick in some draft. Its just parents, a hired umpire for $10/hour (maybe more) and a field in some neighborhood in America.

So here's to sliding triples, hanging sliders, and caught-looking strikes. To 10 foot jumpers, 3 foot layups, and clutch free throws. Something seems to be sane about the world of sports, something that other parts of society lack. Beyond the steroids, the enhancements, the Muscle Milk and the Power Bars, it all seems so pure, compared to the rat race of everything else.