So far eveyone has missed the boat on claiming the vaunted prize. I would
say that history has easily tamed sports to be pretty much a liesure
activity regardless of what you claim your modern day avocation to be.
Consider these from our past:
The Gladiator, death was almost certain, even if you happened to win one
round.
The American Indians of the upper midwest would play Lacrosse with hundreds
of combatants. If you didn't get your skull crushed from the back side, or
you happened to lose, you became a slave.
The natives of the America's pre-Columbian era often settled conflicts
through sport whether it was wrestling, soccer, etc… with the outcome
being death or banishment to the loser.
One of the first Caucasian Americans to learn of our native American gaming
ways was none other than John Colter who was caught one day along a river.
His partner raised a rifle and was brought down in seconds by hundreds of
arrows. When Colter was caught, the chief decided to give him a sporting
chance by stripping him naked and being told to run for his life with a few
minutes head start. Colter's ordeal lasted days hundreds of miles from
civilization. Although badly torn up, he managed to live to tell the story.
In today's sports when you know win or lose there is a cold beer waiting at
the end of most sporting events, how can anyone complain how tough it was?
The only sporting event I can think of today that exacts such a price would
be these sailing races around the world, the “roaring forties” swallows
boats whole without anybody getting a second chance.
XC ski racing falls somewhere ahead of a TV reality show and behind
professional rassling. The other sports made for TV……….who cares, I
never watch them anyway.
