America and its sporting heroes

Vergilius

Vergilius

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http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22358028/the-nba-obsession-wine

Stumbled across this article on ESPN. It's a roughly 5000 page text with glossy photos about how NBA players like to drink expensive wine. With every word, my fascination grew: why is the tone so fawning? Why would anyone in the world care? Then my scrolling hand got numb about halfway through (not that way, you bastards) and I couldn't go on reading.

My question to you yanks is this: are you really this obsessed with your sporting heroes that you want to consume book-length articles about their nouveau riche habits? I couldn't imagine anyone writing an article like this about Ronaldo and Messi, to be honest. In fact, I'm pretty sure that in Europe the NBA player's sudden obession with wine would be considered to be in bad taste (see what I did there?). What gives?
 
I don't give a shit what any celebrity eats or drinks. But I do like to hear about their sexual exploits.
 
ESPN doesn't know what its core value prop is, sports or lifestyle or social commentary
 
tumblr_m731icDTMG1r92ldso1_400.gif
 
Not sure what’s worse, that you consider a 5,000 word article “book-length” or that you’ve clearly never watched nor read an iota of European football coverage because there is non-stop fawning over Messi and Ronaldo’s every move.
 
I'm guessing this article is more for wine aficionados than sports fans? I haven't read it, and no I don't care what anybody eats or drinks.
 
Vergilius said:
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22358028/the-nba-obsession-wine

Stumbled across this article on ESPN. It's a roughly 5000 page text with glossy photos about how NBA players like to drink expensive wine. With every word, my fascination grew: why is the tone so fawning? Why would anyone in the world care? Then my scrolling hand got numb about halfway through (not that way, you bastards) and I couldn't go on reading.

My question to you yanks is this: are you really this obsessed with your sporting heroes that you want to consume book-length articles about their nouveau riche habits? I couldn't imagine anyone writing an article like this about Ronaldo and Messi, to be honest. In fact, I'm pretty sure that in Europe the NBA player's sudden obession with wine would be considered to be in bad taste (see what I did there?). What gives?
Click to expand...

as an american, i couldn't give a shit about the things athletes do in their spare time. to me, it's simply a reflection of the obsession some people have with celebrities. you see the same thing with movie actors, musicians, etc. to me, it's a worldwide phenomenon.
 
wlu.29 said:
ESPN doesn't know what its core value prop is, sports or lifestyle or social commentary
Click to expand...

espn is destroying itself, by adding in politics to sports. they thought it would increase ratings, when it in fact did the opposite. people watch sports to get away from stuff like that.
 
IIIIIIII said:
espn is destroying itself, by adding in politics to sports. they thought it would increase ratings, when it in fact did the opposite. people watch sports to get away from stuff like that.
Click to expand...
There has always been politics in and at sporting events. It was just politics folks bitching about it now agreed with.
 
lts5025 said:
Not sure what’s worse, that you consider a 5,000 word article “book-length” or that you’ve clearly never watched nor read an iota of European football coverage because there is non-stop fawning over Messi and Ronaldo’s every move.
Click to expand...

Do you know the term hyperbole? It's when you exaggerate to achieve an effect. Also, do you know the term :eek::eek::eek:g*t? That's you motherf*cker (and before you reply - read the first part of this post... and then read the second part again. Now kneel!)
 
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IIIIIIII said:
as an american, i couldn't give a shit about the things athletes do in their spare time. to me, it's simply a reflection of the obsession some people have with celebrities. you see the same thing with movie actors, musicians, etc. to me, it's a worldwide phenomenon.
Click to expand...

Although honestly in my experience it is pushed rather more into the mainstream in the US, there's plenty of it in the UK of course but much of the time its kept to gossip mags/websites that can be avoided, I'm happy to be blissfully unaware of the lives of most footballers unless they commit some more serious misdemenor like the WBA ones stealing the taxi in Barca recently.
 
ShoelessRye said:
There has always been politics in and at sporting events. It was just politics folks bitching about it now agreed with.
Click to expand...

what? i don't think so. never has politics infiltrated sports the way it has now. when did we ever see football teams refusing to stand for the national anthem, as one example?
 
Vergilius said:
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22358028/the-nba-obsession-wine

Stumbled across this article on ESPN. It's a roughly 5000 page text with glossy photos about how NBA players like to drink expensive wine. With every word, my fascination grew: why is the tone so fawning? Why would anyone in the world care? Then my scrolling hand got numb about halfway through (not that way, you bastards) and I couldn't go on reading.

My question to you yanks is this: are you really this obsessed with your sporting heroes that you want to consume book-length articles about their nouveau riche habits? I couldn't imagine anyone writing an article like this about Ronaldo and Messi, to be honest. In fact, I'm pretty sure that in Europe the NBA player's sudden obession with wine would be considered to be in bad taste (see what I did there?). What gives?
Click to expand...

Some sport fans are wanna be athletes. They live through the players/team because they want to be them. It is sort of ridiculous on some level with the hero worship when you consider they get all this attention when they are playing a kids game.
 
People read biographies about dead people they don’t know and never will. We watch movies and tv shows about strangers pretending to be other people that then pretend to murder people. We watch reality shows about putzes acting like jackoffs.

Is reading an article about NBA players drinking wine really that out of the ordinary or weird? Probably something insightful in there for those that are curious.
 
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