February and the Decline of Sports

February.

Cold, windy, dark… lets just call it a miserable month and be done with it. There really aren’t any redeeming qualities to this month, so why don’t you bundle up on the couch, grab a drink and watch some sports. What’s that you say? The Super Bowl is over and there are no good sports on TV? What about the NBA? What about the NHL? What about college hoops?

Boring.

That is not to say that these sports are dull all of the time, but this is a time when things really aren’t hitting stride in these respective sports. The NBA has just had their All-Star ‘Game’, which is mildly entertaining but perhaps shouldn’t really be classified as sport (unless you consider wrestling a sport and not sports-entertainment). The NBA doesn’t really get interesting until the last few weeks and the playoffs.

The NHL, well there is a whole host of problems with trying to pass the month by watching hockey (just look at our poor hockey journalist CH, who cries himself to sleep every night wondering and waiting for when hockey will be fun again), and like the NBA, doesn’t really get interesting until close to the playoffs (perhaps if they didn’t play so many damn games these earlier ones might be more interesting… and meaningful). NCAA? Come on, March Madness… need I say more… it isn’t called Fabulous February, geez.

So in light of not having any current sports to talk about this month I thought that I would try and honour a true sports fan who took his own life February 20, 2005. Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. This article is for Mr. Sports As Life, who is locked in his bunker right now waiting for the war to end, and whose journalistic hero is Dr. Thompson. I shan’t rant and rave and try and tell you all about Thompson, I could never do him justice so just read this and bask in his brilliance.

Now that was a man who can write. That was a man who was passionate about sport – and in turn passionate about sports effect on the rest of society. I suggest you follow some of the links to his other articles and just think about the talent that was lost 3 years ago.

Just two other links to remember this day while we try and get through this horrible sports month:

I don’t really like baseball that much, but with Thompson running things it may have been a little more interesting.

Lastly, here is Dr. Thompson himself…

Need I say more? So let us all remember Dr. Thompson and wait until March Madness and the resurrection of sports on TV.

Hunter Stockton Thompson
July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005