04-09-2014, 03:28 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-09-2014, 03:46 AM by OutsiderFan.)
A bitter friend on when two hated teams play each other:Â root for injuries.
It's totally unsportsmanlike, is in very poor taste, and probably is profoundly bad karma, but I'm pretty sure the "second place male" in an all or nothing breeding community isn't shedding any tears if a poacher takes out the one inseminating all the females, when he's next in line.
Our winner take all sports society is a bit analogous to certain animal species' breeding behavior. So when Clayton Kershaw signed his contract with the Dodgers a few months ago, knowing the Dodgers have that Time Warner cable deal that gives them a profound revenue advantage over the Giants, and knowing his record against the Giants, you bet your ass the first thing I thought was "I hope he tears a rotator cuff or an elbow ligament and needs Tommy John surgery."
It seems nobody minds being beat "fair and square," but when you factor in the unfair or unattainable competitive advantages of others that can never seem to be overcome by honest hard work, people tend to turn to wanting their foe to be weakened. It seems like a natural response for any competitive being. I doubt many NY football Giants fans were feeling sad when Leonard Marshall knocked Joe Montana out of the 1990 NFC CG. No, they were more likely wishing for it all game.
Think how many die hard women's hoops fans of other PAC-12 teams must feel about the Stanford women's team and it's umpteen titles. Or those fans who want a Director's Cup even.
It's totally unsportsmanlike, is in very poor taste, and probably is profoundly bad karma, but I'm pretty sure the "second place male" in an all or nothing breeding community isn't shedding any tears if a poacher takes out the one inseminating all the females, when he's next in line.
Our winner take all sports society is a bit analogous to certain animal species' breeding behavior. So when Clayton Kershaw signed his contract with the Dodgers a few months ago, knowing the Dodgers have that Time Warner cable deal that gives them a profound revenue advantage over the Giants, and knowing his record against the Giants, you bet your ass the first thing I thought was "I hope he tears a rotator cuff or an elbow ligament and needs Tommy John surgery."
It seems nobody minds being beat "fair and square," but when you factor in the unfair or unattainable competitive advantages of others that can never seem to be overcome by honest hard work, people tend to turn to wanting their foe to be weakened. It seems like a natural response for any competitive being. I doubt many NY football Giants fans were feeling sad when Leonard Marshall knocked Joe Montana out of the 1990 NFC CG. No, they were more likely wishing for it all game.
Think how many die hard women's hoops fans of other PAC-12 teams must feel about the Stanford women's team and it's umpteen titles. Or those fans who want a Director's Cup even.