10.26.2009

It's all about sports

I have been watching quite a few Yankees' baseball games lately. Their entry to the World Series did excite me a lot on Sunday night.

Being in a sport country, I am overwhelmed by ordinary Americans' passion about sport, by the comprehesive system of promoting and merchandizing sports.

A lot of Americans are passionate about sports, not only in watching them, but also in seriously playing them. Your quiet, shy co-worker might be a serious mountain biker, your ordinary looking neighbour could be an amateur marathon runner. They devote time and money on the sports they play. So if next time, you hear an American saying he is 'OK' in this sport, please remember that he could be killing you if you ever play with him.

Sports are more than a mere excercise in this country. It becomes a culture, a way of socializing. I once heard an American born Chinese's complaint about being left out by his co-workers, just because he's not into any type of sports. I was surprised to hear the story when I was in Shanghai, but now, I understand where he comes from. In this country, if you know nothing about sports, that means, you are socially disabled, well, at least for a guy. The consequence is, when you get to work on Monday morning, if you don't know the score for the Sunday NFL game, at least for your city team, TRY TO AVOID EYE CONTACT WITH OTHERS, AND TRY NOT TO TALK TO ANYBODY!

Does that mean, being a woman/girl, if you know a lot about sports, that's definately a turn on? The answer is YES.

I was lucky enough to have a smart ex boyfriend, who taught me ABC about baseball. I made one Yankees' calendar for him one year, and it absolutely turned him on. And I guess, that's part of the reasons that he loved me ? The good outcome of it is: one afternoon I was watching Yankees vs. LA Angels (Angels wear red) in the company kitchen. A guy from sister company came over and asked me which team I rooted for. Before I opened my mouth, he said, oh I guess you like Angels because you like RED!. I turned my head, stared at him and said it calmly, no, I like Yankees, because I like BLUE and I love Derek Jeter, but now I am also into CC Sabathia, just because he's a great pitcher. And also, I know what is pitching and what is batting. Silence...the guy finally opened his mouth, and said, well, I am impressed :)

End of Story!

This country is full of fun!