All my life I was connected in one way or another with sport at different levels, in different perspectives. From the childhood play ground, going to the high passion for football that culminated with the job of sports journalist for several years and ending with me practicing kick-boxing, running, swimming and other types of working out, I have a clear view of what is happening in the world at this point in the sense that sports, generally speaking, became a huge pile of garbage. But, unfortunately, people continue watching it and so the money continue to flow to people that do not deserve it, most because the spectacle is not poor, but not existent.
Zero passion, zero quality in sport
I will use a couple of examples to clarify why I am ashamed of the sport today. I have written here already about why I cannot love football anymore, but the same sentiment applies to every sport and if you don’t agree, I am presenting you the reasons for which you should. And I won’t be starting with boxing, but with boxing a sport that was and still is considered one of the most popular on the planet. But now the value scale changed dramatically and it turns out that if you enter the ring as an average person, it is possible, actually very likely, to get tons of money, far more comparing to pros that are suppose to dominate the ring. Football is no different, but I will get back to that, with clear examples, afterwards.
40 million dollars for being a clown in the boxing ring
Jake Paul, a youtuber, which actually means unemployed, turned to boxing and in 2021 topped, from three “fights“ more than 40 million dollars (MILLION!) OK, I repeat, just to make it clear, this guy is not a professional, he didn’t train from 5 years to go and be the best, he just thought, at some point, when he was bored, that he could fight and get money for that. So he did. Neither do I think that it is fair to get 40 million dollars as a professional boxer, but to be a clown in the ring, the justification is even thinner. Maybe he boxes better than me, better than many people, but to top professional boxers because a bunch of people are starring at him? Well, it is too much and this destroys sport, little by little.
The audience is the one who sustained the madness
Because Jake Paul got this amount of money because people was interested in his “fight“. And they pay. He gets a lot of money because millions – I think – follow him on Youtube without a solid reason. Maybe people are fascinated that a guy, like them, is getting tones of money without doing something special. Indeed, this is the problem. Instead of working in a car wash or in a donuts bakery he earns millions just for fooling around and people like him because they imagine being in his place. But they are not, they are just funding his existence and it is funded big! Now, to be honest, I would for sure like to be in this guy’s shoes, but who wouldn’t want to? The problem is not the person himself, but the impact in sport.
Usain Bolt was ready to start playing football at… 32 years!
When you become a “boxer“ out of thin air and you earn 40 million dollars out of thin air, more than, maybe 95% of the professional boxers, than something it is indeed fucked up. This kind of show begun when Mayweather accepted a fight with McGregor. They were decent sportsmen in their disciplines – even though still highly overrated – but a direct clash between them was a complete circus but, yet, the amounts paid for the event were monstrous. Another example is Usain Bolt. The World Record holder at 100 meters tried to start playing football at… 32 years! Fortunately, he was turned down by a team from Australian second division and a South African second division. Well, in Romanian football he would have been fitting excellent, but this is another story…
Messi and the hideous support from Benzema
This kind of events, apparently with no sense, generate scandalous amounts of money, but they don’t bring also competitive quality. I mean just imagine! In football the story is slightly the same, even though apparently different. I will use a specific example, from Paris – a lovely city just visited – where the supporters shortly after PSG were trown out of UEFA Champions League booed Messi and Neymar, two players that perform very poorly. I’ve heard, including Benezma claiming: “Who doubts Messi, doesn’t know football“. Well, is that so? The supporters, whom pay Messi and Neymar wadges of 3 million euro / month, expect something in return. And Messi cage in return 3 goals in Ligue 1 and a knock out from the Champions League – with penalty missed – before the last eight.
How can you be depressed when you earn millions for nothing?
Why should football players win so much if they don’t offer anything back and if, most important, are sooo sensitive? Well, for 50.000 euro / month, your employer can ask you almost anything, let alone for 2-3 million! Only in sports we hear about depression, sensitivity, that the sportsmen and women are struggling mentally. OK, but if they are struggling when they have millions of euros in their account, what about people that work on a couple of dollars / hour? Or a couple of bucks / day? This is why sport is dying, turning to trash, because nobody actually should understand for what the money is paid. The passion is gone, the quality is gone. We only have tones of money for nothing and complaints from the “performers“. What next? Well, it gets can be even worse, even though at a smaller scale.
Rapid Bucharest should have beaten Gaz Metan Mediaș 30-0
Recently, in Romania, we had Rapid Bucharest – Gaz Metan Mediaș 8-0. Now, the guests are a team that normally should not exist. Should be put out of the competition and return all the money from TV rights, because it is a shame what they did when they remained without public funds. Now, they are playing with some youngsters and the Romanian “press“ and other “specialists“ said that Rapid should not be so hursh. No, guys, on the contrary! Rapid should have scored 30 goals if possible, because it is not the fault of Rapid that Gaz Metan took some lads from the street, and they don’t know football. OK, they are young, but this doesn’t automatically mean that you need to be beaten like that, because you didn’t play against Manchester City.
Talented youngsters… you can tell when they play abroad…
The youngsters in Romania re selected in a way that shows results. To be more specific, though, no results. I mean, look at Gică Hagi even. He always screams that his boys are the best and, comparing to most, they really are, but when they co to play outside Romania, without any exception they end up being heavy embarrassments. So, yes, Rapid should not be more gentle, they should score as many goals as possible. Gaz Metan should be dissolved, stripped of all money from TV rights because what they done, especially because nobody is actually watching a match to see them and the youngsters have plenty of options.
If sport is not for you, why don’t you get a different job?
If they can really play football, then they should find a contract easy. If they cannot do that, there are thousands of jobs in the world where they can switch to. No shame, no piety. But the sport itself became something only about piety, political correctness and in which the supporters – the ones that carry the sport! – need to shut up. No quality, no passion, no determination, but tones of money. Only circus and marketing. In exchange for going on the right path, those who have some power, prefer to keep it this way. Until when? Well, until supporters will be fed up. I mean all of us, like I am right now, ‘cause I am buying anything linked to sport, that does not involves me directly, very rare. And if I am doing it, I am doing it mostly at discounts. Otherwise it is not worth it. Not at all!
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