Anthony Strand (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} zeppomarxist) wrote,@ 2007-06-08 14:04:00 |
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NFL SuperPro need not apply
For years, my brother Benjamin and I have had an ongoing feud over our preferred forms of entertainment. He's a huge sports fan and I'm a big ol' comic book nerd. Over the years, we've had dozens of arguments on the subject. For some reason, we both seem to be at our least articulate during these bouts, which are full of statements such as "Comics are for stupid idiots who like crappy crap!" and "Why do they even bother to show baseball on television?!" They invariably end in a draw.
If I'm being honest, I have to admit that the two have a lot of similarities. Comics fans and sports fans both spend ungodly amounts of time rehashing the past, which was far better than anything happening today. Both groups love to discuss the minutiae of specific events, whether that's the 1997 NBA Finals or the Crisis on Infinite Earths. When members of either group get together, they can often be heard determining the outcome of imaginary battles, be it Ruth vs. Clemens or Superman vs. Thor. Both groups also love to hear other people talk about the hobby, although ESPN commentary is certainly much higher profile than any comics blog. My brother Christopher even talks about the National League/American League split in exactly the same way I talk about the difference between DC and Marvel. We even sound equally ridiculous to people without any knowledge in the area.
In spite of all of that, I've long defended the inherent superiority of comics. I'll choose the worst ever issue of Green Lantern over the greatest game in the history of the NFL. Yesterday, I finally realized why.
It's as simple as this - sports fans and comic book fans have another thing in common. They both want to be just like their heroes. Every kid who watched the Bulls in the 1990s wanted to be Michael Jordan, and every kid who reads Action Comics wants to be Superman. Both forms of entertainment, at their cores, are about fans living vicariously through their favorite stars. It doesn't matter if that's the Colts or the Justice Society. The desire is the same.
And that's why comics have the edge. The comics fan has a far nobler wish. Sports fans want to emulate a group of people who make millions (millions!) of dollars per year contributing nothing to society. They have tremendous physical ability, and they get paid to waste it running around on a field. In spite of that, many of them act like spoiled five-year-olds when they don't get their way. To a sports fan, this is the ideal lifestyle.
Comics fans, on the other hand, strive to be like people who have been given tremendous powers and use them to help others. Superheroes don't get paid for their services. They do what they do simply because it's right. The life of a superhero is inherently selfless, while the life of a professional athlete is entirely selfish.
Now, I know what you're thinking - superheroes aren't real and athletes are. Well, that's exactly my point. Comics fans seek to achieve the impossible. Our bar is set so high that there is no way we can ever reach it. Sports fans are content to strive for the life of a fallible, standard human being.
For years, my brother Benjamin and I have had an ongoing feud over our preferred forms of entertainment. He's a huge sports fan and I'm a big ol' comic book nerd. Over the years, we've had dozens of arguments on the subject. For some reason, we both seem to be at our least articulate during these bouts, which are full of statements such as "Comics are for stupid idiots who like crappy crap!" and "Why do they even bother to show baseball on television?!" They invariably end in a draw.
If I'm being honest, I have to admit that the two have a lot of similarities. Comics fans and sports fans both spend ungodly amounts of time rehashing the past, which was far better than anything happening today. Both groups love to discuss the minutiae of specific events, whether that's the 1997 NBA Finals or the Crisis on Infinite Earths. When members of either group get together, they can often be heard determining the outcome of imaginary battles, be it Ruth vs. Clemens or Superman vs. Thor. Both groups also love to hear other people talk about the hobby, although ESPN commentary is certainly much higher profile than any comics blog. My brother Christopher even talks about the National League/American League split in exactly the same way I talk about the difference between DC and Marvel. We even sound equally ridiculous to people without any knowledge in the area.
In spite of all of that, I've long defended the inherent superiority of comics. I'll choose the worst ever issue of Green Lantern over the greatest game in the history of the NFL. Yesterday, I finally realized why.
It's as simple as this - sports fans and comic book fans have another thing in common. They both want to be just like their heroes. Every kid who watched the Bulls in the 1990s wanted to be Michael Jordan, and every kid who reads Action Comics wants to be Superman. Both forms of entertainment, at their cores, are about fans living vicariously through their favorite stars. It doesn't matter if that's the Colts or the Justice Society. The desire is the same.
And that's why comics have the edge. The comics fan has a far nobler wish. Sports fans want to emulate a group of people who make millions (millions!) of dollars per year contributing nothing to society. They have tremendous physical ability, and they get paid to waste it running around on a field. In spite of that, many of them act like spoiled five-year-olds when they don't get their way. To a sports fan, this is the ideal lifestyle.
Comics fans, on the other hand, strive to be like people who have been given tremendous powers and use them to help others. Superheroes don't get paid for their services. They do what they do simply because it's right. The life of a superhero is inherently selfless, while the life of a professional athlete is entirely selfish.
Now, I know what you're thinking - superheroes aren't real and athletes are. Well, that's exactly my point. Comics fans seek to achieve the impossible. Our bar is set so high that there is no way we can ever reach it. Sports fans are content to strive for the life of a fallible, standard human being.
