Holy Brier Batman!!

Think of curling whatever you will, but for anyone who has ever tried to throw a rock down a sheet of ice and actually have it do anything close to what you intended it to do, you know that curling is a sport of incredible skill.

Alberta's Team Martin has now won 26 straight Brier games and 2 consecutive Brier titles. Truly an amazing feat that they should be proud of. As Albertans and Canadians should also share in that pride. Unfortunately, I have a hard time being proud of the support that is given to these amazing athletes. Which brings me to my topic. The really sad part that I want to discuss is the fact that this victory means a whopping 72 thousand dollars in support from Sports Canada for the next year. What kind of pathetic crap is that?

As Canadians we pay hundreds of dollars to attend Hockey games where fighting is a part of the game. We pay players millions of dollars a year, for what? Sports should be a celebration of fitness, and skill, but what it has turned into is a marketing competition that generates revenue from over sensationalizing the sport. Ultimately, however, Hockey dominates the Canadian sports scene. Why is that? Is it because of the physical prowess, or skill requirements of the game? Not likely. My wife grew up with a hockey player who played in the NHL his only skill was being able to remain standing while fighting. He could not shoot, pass, or do anything else except fight, yet he was a hockey player. He earned more for "breaking the rules" of a sport, in a controlled, accepted, way in just 3 games with not much more then 6 or 7 minutes ice time total, then all of Alberta's Curling team has earned for 26 games of flawless performance. They displayed sportsmanship, skill, dedication, and perseverance, and in return we gave them a standing ovation (I only assume as much) a trophy and a pittance that only cover a portion of the expense they have personally incurred.

We value entertainment and reward breaking the rules in sports. We pay to watch these sensational acts. We condemn the very acts we pay to see when they result in permanent injury (Bertuzzi) but then we turn the other cheek and don't address the true issue. That incident happened because as fans WE paid to see Bertuzzi fight. As fans WE leap to our feet when a fight breaks out. As fans WE cheer when blood is spilled. As fans WE make our desire for this bastardization of a sport known to the owners, and marketing genius' responsible, by paying ever increasing ticket prices and selling out game after game and keeping the waiting list for seasons tickets years long.

It is time, as a society that supposedly condems violence, that we stop supporting this with our money, and start putting money into a sport where fighting is likely the last thing on anyones mind. Don't get me wrong, there is place for fighting in sports; however those sports are ones in which fighting is the point of the sport, rather then an accepted form of breaking the rules. Boxing, MMA, and all their variants are amazing to watch and I fully support thier promotion. Whether your following the rules should make all the difference in the world.......Now where was I? Oh yes, GO TEAM MARTIN!!!!!!

Sometimes, how I get off topic confuses even me.