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[Turbo Ninja]

Reportably, the Sonics have lost 60 million dollars recently because of a poor lease that runs out in 2010. 

It's able to be reported, yes.  The Sonics haven't "lost" $60 million as much as they didn't "earn" that money via things like parking, concessions, and other side action that other NBA teams were wise enough to secure.  Don't blame the lease, blame the dumbasses who agreed to it.

I grew up 35 miles south of Cleveland and I was still living at home when the Browns franchise defected to Baltimore.  The outrage was palpable among both fans and civic leaders.  Had the Indians not been dominating the American League at the time, I'm fairly sure Cleveland's unemployment rate would have plummeted as a result of all the people who killed themselves due to depression and left their jobs for other people to take.  I actually saw people who spray painted their own cars with messages of hate for Art Modell - lots of "Traitor Art" and "Modell loves Money" type jive.  The thing that stung the worst was Ozzie Newsome going with him and the eventual success of the Ravens.  I haven't cared about the Browns since "they" came back.  It was a nice gesture to let the city keep the name, colors, record book, etc.

People forget that there were rumors the Indians would leave town as well and set up shop in the Tampa/St. Pete area.  "Major League" is not a work of pure fiction, friends.  But then the Gateway project was approved and we got Jacobs Field.  Too bad the Cavs moved as well, because their new arena is already out of date and just barely of higher quality than Ohio State's new basketball barn.  The Richfield Coliseum was a great place to watch basketball, hockey AND indoor soccer.  To me, taking the Cavs, Lumberjacks and Force out of Richfield was more personally affecting than taking the Browns out of Cleveland because it was a quick 20-minute drive along back-country roads to get to the Coliseum whereas downtown Cleveland was a 45-minute odyssey into unfamiliar territory.  When you're 17 years old, a move like that basically puts your team on the other side of the continent.

Between the relocation of teams and the frequent transfer of the athletes themselves, Seinfeld was right: We're really just cheering for laundry.

[Choop]

I think I'd buy any fiction Vonnegut released no matter how shitty I heard it was.

Hear, hear!

[CortJstr]

I grew up 35 miles south of Cleveland and I was still living at home when the Browns franchise defected to Baltimore.  The outrage was palpable among both fans and civic leaders.  Had the Indians not been dominating the American League at the time, I'm fairly sure Cleveland's unemployment rate would have plummeted as a result of all the people who killed themselves due to depression and left their jobs for other people to take.  I actually saw people who spray painted their own cars with messages of hate for Art Modell - lots of "Traitor Art" and "Modell loves Money" type jive.  The thing that stung the worst was Ozzie Newsome going with him and the eventual success of the Ravens.  I haven't cared about the Browns since "they" came back.  It was a nice gesture to let the city keep the name, colors, record book, etc.

So do you have Modell's stores up there or did people boycott them due to rage over the moving of the team?


[edit: dammit, now I have the "gotta go to Mo's" jingle in my head]

[AugustWest]

See, the only sort-of sport that I sort of follow is figure skating.

Too bad it's not a sport...

[wombat]

Yeah, but if it's not a sport, what is it?  It makes your head hurt just to think about it.

[Turbo Ninja]

So do you have Modell's stores up there or did people boycott them due to rage over the moving of the team?

No, but we do have Dick's, which pretty much sums up how people feel about Modell.

[CortJstr]

Yeah, but if it's not a sport, what is it?  It makes your head hurt just to think about it.

An athletic competition. Personally I think sports have objective scoring. Anything with subjective scoring (figure skating, cheerleading, half-pipe) is an athletic competition.

[jough]

I play chess, and am always annoyed when people refer to it as a "sport" rather than a "game."

I mean, it's more intellectually and physically stimulating than most games, but I still don't see how chess is a sport.

[Drygioni]

I play chess, and am always annoyed when people refer to it as a "sport" rather than a "game."

I mean, it's more intellectually and physically stimulating than most games, but I still don't see how chess is a sport.

Sport can be defined as an activity that people compete in, so I suppose competitive chess is a "sport". In some peoples eyes. Maybe.

... No, you're right.

[wombat]

An athletic competition. Personally I think sports have objective scoring. Anything with subjective scoring (figure skating, cheerleading, half-pipe) is an athletic competition.

But if you asked me to define 'sport' I would say it was.... an athletic competition.

No, stop, this way lies madness.  Hey, how about those evil people who relocate sports teams!

[Gimpson]

Here in KC, we're building an arena for some NBA or NHL team to be named at a later date.  I'm sure our civic leaders aren't happy that the Sonics are going to be moving to OKC.  At least we have an Arena Football team to use the new arena once it's finished next year, but it seems like we're spending an awful lot of money to not have several teams using the Arena. 

I moved to Houston just a year or two before the Oilers left, but I was still pretty pissed off by the whole thing.  It is nice that Houston has a team again.  (Well, sort of a team.)

[theinevitable]

people here are still bitter about the Hornets moving. And now we have the Bobcats? and michael jordan owns part of them? I don't know.

My friend who is in the Air Force now still has a Charlotte Hornets sticker on his car. It was pickles on the parade for them, 'cause his mom worked for the Hornets in some capacity, so she had to move to New Orleans. Without them. It was kind of a shitty deal for that whole family, her commuting back and forth on occaisional weekends and such.

Anyway, yeah. It sucks when teams move. Not that I really follow sports atall.

[CortJstr]

But if you asked me to define 'sport' I would say it was.... an athletic competition.

No, stop, this way lies madness.  Hey, how about those evil people who relocate sports teams!

Well "sports" are a subset of "athletic competitions." Like how squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares.

Wow, I haven't heard that particular metaphor since like 3rd grade. I now have a sudden desire to have M.U.S.C.L.E. Men battle each other on top of my Transformers lunch box.

[AlohaDawg]

Yeah, but if it's not a sport, what is it?  It makes your head hurt just to think about it.

I've thought about this a lot and got into a lot of discussions about how golf is not a sport. (For golf to be a sport, we have to consider golfers - picture Tom Weiskopf or John Daly - athletes. I can't do it!)

Activities require more skill then physicality and intellect. (figure skating, golf)

Sports require more physicality than intellect and skill. (Boxing, track and field)

Games require more intellect than skill and physicality. (Chess, Scrabble)

Now, it's true that in all these realms the general level of physicality among those competing continues to climb. To classify them you have to look at the average person engaged in the game/sport/activity, not those participiating at the highest levels.

Most things require a combination of the three (especially team sports) but one of the three usually prevails. Baseball is hard to classify, for example. Fielders mainly use skills, pitchers and batters use a combination of physicality and skill.

[wombat]

I can't see putting figure skating in the same category as golf as far as physical prowess. Those women are Amazons. Don't let the outfits fool you. 

Golf would sure be more interesting if it were set to music and played in tutus, though.