Now, every male should display some interest in sports. Some, however, become over-zealous and appear as a faggot. In fact, I have one friend (strained definition however) who does this. He goes on and on about soccer matches (specifically Manchester United games) on Facebook. I have mentioned him before here; he's the exhibit C.
Now it is one thing to be excited about a match; regardless if it is a big match, but commenting about it, from before the start of it to the entire duration of it to the aftermath-is just an awesome display of faggotry. There are three fundamental problems when guys start giving their two cents about sports:
1. Most of us haven't even played anywhere near that competitive level to understand.
2. Most of us think we know better than the experts.
3. Most of us fail to realize hindsight bias.
The first problem is very common. You see people criticizing soccer players who miss crucial penalties, open goals; NBA players who fluff up a rebound, the list goes on. The problem is, how many of us have even played anywhere near those levels to truly understand how difficult it is to be at that level? It is quite understandable to express extreme disappointment, but to go on and say "I could do better" is just plain retarded. No, you can't, which is why you're the one sitting in the couch. So shut up.
Most of us think we know better. Again, we don't. I would safely say that 99% of those who watch NBA/soccer thinks that they are the experts and probably can make better deals than any other managers while simultaneously coaching their teams to championships after championships. This is silly. There is a reason why ESPN pays retired NBA stars much more (in the region of millions) to commentate. This is because they actually talk sense (other than Charles Barkley). There are reasons why top managers and coaches are paid exorbitant amounts. So please, don't talk about "tactics" as if you're a grandmaster. You only make yourself look bad; like a know-it-all who really doesn't know anything. It is alright to be uninformed; just don't be an uninformed uninformed.
The final issue, hindsight bias is a well-documented psychology academic. Have you done something only to realize it was such an obvious mistake? Well, in a nutshell, that is hindsight bias. Seeing things as being more "duh" after it has happened. A classic example would be the bombing of Pearl Harbor. What were the Japanese thinking, provoking the Americans? Guess it didn't seem so obvious to the Japanese generals then; but was it? Maybe the Japanese truly believed that the Americans would be too crippled to strike back. Or that they could hold off the American forces. In fact, I can think of a very solid reason-Japan believed that by taking out the naval route, the Americans would be left with the air route; which they can take down with their kamikaze fighters. Whatever reason(s) it was, the Japanese were very confident then that it was a correct and wise decision.
It's fun to discuss about sports. It's cool. Just don't over-do it and bear in mind at the end of the day, you're the one scratching your balls in front of the TV.
Shoot, score, smile.
No comments:
Post a Comment