 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Y2K wishes Phenomena we can do without in the new millennium
Posted: Monday December 13, 1999 11:26 AM
With the award season already gathering pace, and everyone and his mother choosing a sportsman/woman of the year, decade, or century, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on some of the sporting phenomena we could perhaps do without in the new millenium. No more Mexican waves at any stadium on the planet. It was boring when it started at the '86 soccer World Cup. Thirteen years later! Enough already. No more "Rock 'n Roll Part One" at sporting venues in the United States. The "composer," Gary Glitter, hardly deserves the royalties after his recent behavior, and somebody must surely have composed another all-purpose anthem by now. Queen's "We are the Champions," should also take a hike. No more stupid celebrations after scoring a goal, a touchdown or taking a wicket. This is sport, not the Folies Bergere. Let's see the return of some dignity. No more should-Pete-Rose-be-in-the-baseball-Hall-of-Fame debates. It may have been a point of principle back in the day, but in a new century with a new generation of fans, who will care? No more shots of tennis players' wives or girlfriends. I thought we'd seen the last of the self-conscious nailbiting or joy when Boris Becker quit the tennis scene -- Barbara Becker having become the queen of the close-ups. Then Steffi met Andre, and barely a passing-shot goes by without some TV director zooming in for Steffi's reaction. Stop it.
No more boxers praising God after every victory. Faith, like wealth, is a personal thing, and doesn't need to be flaunted. And to be honest, it's a bit of a stretch to think that anyone's God backs them in knocking someone's head off in the ring. And while we're on the subject of the spoken word. Would all sportspeople, and soccer players in particular, stop saying "at the end of the day," unless the time is a factor. Perhaps they could also stop prefacing everything with "obviously." If it's obvious, I've probably already worked it out for myself. Tell me something I don't know. No more track and field freak shows like the much-hyped million dollar non-event between Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson in Toronto. The only people to benefit were their respective accountants. Maurice Greene, who's recently challenged Johnson to another "Who's-the-fastest-man-on-the-planet?" debacle, please stick to being a legitimate champion, instead of turning into Ben Johnson. On the subject of which, no more Ben Johnson comebacks, or comebacks of any kind unless they're poignant like that of Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong. Or brilliant, like that of Andre Agassi, who I wrote off when he was down in the ATP 100s, but who came back to embarrass all the critics with a pair of Slams. Andre, I personally will never doubt you again. Less Michael Jordan. Some hope. Since his retirement from the NBA, Jordan has become the Elvis of sport, more visible now than in his heyday. Whether it's a TV advertising campaign, or just hogging the limelight by playing golf with Sergio Garcia or dropping in on a Bulls training session, Michael is omnipotent. Mike, here's an idea for a new fragrance, call it "OVEREXPOSURE." I could go on, but obviously, at the end of the day, I don't want to become repetitious, like the Mexican wave of the Internet, so may your God go with you. Happy Y2K.
Terry Baddoo is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
