What are your thoughts on the Indian’s home opener being postponed?
He Said: Good call, I say! What’s the point of a home opener when the weather is terrible? Picture your ideal baseball game: you sit in the bleacher seats (only $10!!), while the sunshine tickles your cheeks. You throw a peanut in your mouth—you don’t actually eat the peanut, because ew, but you enjoy sucking all the salt off the shell before spitting it on the ground. You lean back, take a deep breath, and enjoy the day. “Carpe Diem,” you think, drifting to sleep…being occasionally awakened by the crowd screaming excitedly at what turns out to just be a foul ball. That is what a baseball game should be. Sitting in rainy 43-degree weather, too warm for it to snow but just cold enough to make you a walking icicle after the game is not enjoyable. Your only choice is to watch the game, and where is the fun in that? Bad weather combines the despair of chilling cold with the misery of actually watching a baseball game. I’ll pass, thanks; catch me there in late May when it is 75 and sunny, peanuts in hand.
She Said: Well it was definitely a bummer. I’m not big into sports but last weekend I was given the opportunity to check out what’s new at Progressive Field and try out the new food vendors and it really got me excited for the season. With that said, I hate being cold and I really can’t imagine having to play baseball in the weather that we had in Cleveland on Monday. I understand it was a bummer for those who spent money on tickets and took off of work but true Tribe fans shouldn’t be too upset because they would support any decision the team made despite other plans.
Do you think that sports on college campuses gain priority over other organizations?
He Said: Financially? No. The reality of the situation is that the majority of athletic programs (at least at Division 1 and 2) are self-funded, and are usually solvent. At division 3 I imagine the schools pay for it, and it is an expense. However, I view athletic programs as another form of expression and discovery—just as valid as the arts, service, or any other activity, and therefore just as worthy of being paid for.
Now, looking at it from a nonfinancial perspective, yea, I do think they get priority. Because sports are easy. They are exciting, pride-inducing, and most importantly politically neutral. It is much easier for a professor to say, “hey class, go support your lady-bluestreaks today in the gym at 6!” than it is to say, “hey class, go support your fellow JCU students in the atrium as they hand out pro-life brochures to passerby!” Most other activities and groups on campus are at least somewhat controversial in some way (where is a HisCampus website?), whereas sports provide an easy activity for everybody to get behind. This is fine, but can sometimes veer into arrogant territory, in which athletes are viewed as somehow superior to those of us who are not. We know this not to be true, and I believe the athletes know this not to be true, and so at John Carroll, at least, I do not think this is a problem.
She Said: I do think this is the case since they bring in a whole lot of money for any campus. I am a big advocate for money funding other organizations, though, such as the music department or the arts in general because those things have been a big part of my personal life. I don’t really have a good solution to this topic but I do think it is a shame that sports get so much more attention than other areas of students’ lives.
What do you do when your significant other is way more into sports than you are?
He Said: Appreciate its intricacies. Hobbies are tricky things—what one person finds to be a compelling and rewarding activity, another finds to be childish, weird, or boring. The reason people choose one hobby over another is because of the tiny, complex steps, actions, or details involved in fulfilling that hobby. That is what I mean by appreciate its intricacies. Never dismiss a hobby in broad strokes. It is way too easy to dismiss a hobby with an oversimplification. Saying about soccer, “So what, they just kick the ball back and forth for 90 minutes with no scoring?” ignores the beauty in the way the players control the ball; how even when it is unseen, all 22 players are constantly doing something on the field, affecting the play in some way; the hip movements and ankle flexing that go into making a ball curve; and the beautiful way in which every single thing has to come together to score a goal. Saying about cars, “I don’t see the big deal, an engine is an engine, and who cares if the car can go from 0-60 .3 seconds faster? It’s dumb.” Is ignorant of the beauty of the machine and effort put into it. The way in which the simple act of moving forward is a miracle in and of itself—each gear, nozzle, and cylinder working in perfect cohesion. The engine; the shrine upon which car cultures sits, is one of the most complex machines humans have ever built. A car-lover can tell the difference between a V8 and a turbocharged inline-6 simply by the characteristic “vroom” of the engines; the differences in how a car feels between 4-wheel drive and front wheel drive, and so much more. Saying about videogames, “it was cute when we were 16, but it’s time to be a big boy now,” is foolish. It ignores the fact that videogames regularly are more complex than chess, and often require deep thinking and cognitive skills to play effectively. It ignores the vast opportunity for different forms of expression videogames allow, and the mental challenge they can present to its players.
My point here is that hobbies are unique, personal experiences. They do something for that person that sets their mind running, that gives them energy, passion, and motivation. You do not have to like their hobby, and I do not recommend taking part in something that you dislike. But, learn the basics of his hobby. Appreciate its depth. And, when your hubby calls you over to show you the incredible touchdown he just saw on TV, try to see what he sees. Appreciate why he is so excited about it. Listen (and I mean really listen) to what he is saying, and try to understand. And show him that although you may not get as excited about football as he does, you can appreciate the game and support him in his passion. Surely, he will do the same for you.
She Said: Fortunately, I do not have to worry about this but I can see this being a big problem in many relationships. Girls, if your guy can’t even separate himself from the “big game” for two hours for something such as dinner, you need to have an intervention. In my opinion, no matter what bowl it is, it is still simply a game. Even if they find it super important, the internet is a helpful tool to help you catch up on any touchdown or basket that he might have missed. Guys, the chances of the gender roles being switched in this case are low but it can happen. No matter who it is that is way more in to sports, you should feel comfortable talking to them about your concerns and anything that upsets you about his or her habits. If you aren’t comfortable with that and aren’t even comfortable talking to one of your significant other’s friends about it, I think it is safe to say that you should rethink the relationship that you are in because it may seem that you should look for someone with more in common with you.