I Don't Watch Sports Anymore...

Back in the day...

I just read a post online about watching sports. A commenter chimed in and said they don't watch any sports anymore because of kneeling, etc.

Look, much like I wrote last year when people were complaining about baseball season being only 60 games (for instance), it's possible you aren't a sports fan or maybe your taste changed.

Now, look, there are other ways to embrace sports. You can go to watch Minor League Baseball (HI!) or lower levels in other sports. You can go to high school games. Youth events. There are plenty of options.

But, before you tell me college sports are much more "pure," you might want to rethink that.

As you know, I'm a music fan. I'd like to think I'm a bit of a music buff but sometimes I wonder if I'm not. I often wonder if I'm just a fraud, especially given I just don't really appreciate most of what's around today, to be honest. 

But while my fandom for Huey Lewis is still strong, not everything he's ever done has connected with me. There's an album that I've only listened to once, where everything else is embedded in my skull.

The Beatles? Er. Yeah. That's never left me, and I'm not implying that Huey has. I just need to give that other CD/record/download another "spin." My point is I don't see either of my favorites as perfect yet they're both in my blood.

My own tastes have changed. I just read a pretty damning article on Eric Clapton and, admittedly, I'm still a fan of the man's music but am struggling with things he has said and done. Currently, I'm still trying to separate the art from the artist. I've felt that a lot over the past few years as our society encourages shaming for liking the work of certain artists.

In other cases, I just lost the love for the artist and the work for a variety of reasons. The CDs sit unplayed.

So, yes, I get it. Time marches on and we don't have to be the same person we've always been. Good lord, I'd like to think we can all evolve.

But to walk away because of kneeling? No, I can't do that. Look, I've been fairly clear on the Colin Kaepernick thing from day one (and let's face it, he's the star of that overplayed program). He continues to make news in a battle for relevancy, recently saying that he's still working out with intentions of leading a team to a Super Bowl.

I thought there was a point some team would take a flyer on him. In the end, no one did.

Is it collusion? Perhaps it is at this point but never forget he walked away from an offer from the Niners and there were at least two other offers at the time -- said to be the Broncos and Ravens.

But, and I'll say this forever, if any team thought they could win a Super Bowl with him, they'd sign him. Honestly, look at the history of sports. It's littered with not-so-great characters who were allowed to play if it proved to be advantageous to the bottom line.

Regardless of all of that, is it worth walking away from? I guess to some it is. There are still those who never came back from the '94 baseball strike or the NHL lockout or some other issue.

The thing is, the sports all keep motoring on. Most, if not all sports, are doing just fine financially.

So if your stance is to have walked away because of kneeling, business decisions, or anything else, then it's possible you weren't that big of a fan in the first place. Or it was simply time to change.

Maybe, in truth, you just got tired of it.

Many of you don't miss it. I think I would miss it a lot. I mourn the end of baseball every year.

But it's all about "you do you."

Far be it for me to judge.

In the end, it's a matter of taste, opinion, and principle.

Sometimes, I just find it sad.