Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Sunday ritual

On Sunday afternoon, 80,000 people paid a lot of money to sit around at Browns Stadium and watch the Cleveland Browns painfully lose (again). At the same time, a few miles west along the lake, 147 people decided to race cyclocross at Wendy Park on Whiskey Island. They paid $20 each to race, and friends and family watched for free.

The participants in the race were everyday people who race for the love of it while maintaining busy "real" lives with jobs, kids, etc. The participants in the Browns game were athletes with salaries that are unfathomable to most Americans.

The Browns game existed for the sole sake of making obscene amounts of money for the team's owners, the vending companies, television sponsors, and networks.

The cyclocross race was put on by a bunch of generous people who, on a yearly basis, selflessly give up several weekends of their free time to organize, set up, and tear down these well-run events.

You can keep your remote controls, Brady Quinn jerseys, and luxury suites.

Just pass me my cowbell.

1 comment:

Rick said...

perfect.....

damn am I missing the race series and you guys!