Sickened by all the football games going on in domes...

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

this is disgusting, this activity should be suspended because of the tragic conditions in NO. My two cents..

[SaveElmer]

1. Don't see how that helps anything

It wasn't the dome that was the problem it was the lask of action from Bush and his crew that created the conditions there.

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

4. it's insensitive.

[SaveElmer]

8. I disagree...

It hadn;t even crossed my mind until you said something...and I still don;t see the connection. What would you have those teams do? Why punish the hourly workers working at those games.

One has nothing to do with the other

[billbuckhead]

6. Stadiums will never be looked at the same again.Especially doomed stadiums

I always called domed stadiums, "doomed stadiums", I always thought they were de-evolution.

[me b zola]

7. pssst

People are still dying. Now. As I type this.

[SaveElmer]

10. Still not an explanation

Exactly how does cancelling games in domed stadiums do anything but punish the hourly workers working those games?

[me b zola]

15. Your compassion is underwhelming. See post #14

Did you say the same thing on 911 while the buildings were still on fire?

[SaveElmer]

16. During WWII 350,000 AMerican lost their lives...

American sports did not shut down...sports is a diversion. People cannot dwell 24 hours a day on the kind of news coming out of New Orleans.

Shutting down sporting events does nothing to help New Orleans, and in many cases hurts them as many if not most teams are holding fundraisers at their games(as the one I am working at tomorrow is). Are you saying New orleans would be better without that?

Why should the low wage workers be punished...which is what will happen if teams decide not to play!

[me b zola]

17. You didn't answer my question

Did you advocate the same on 911 while the towers were still burning?



Did you read post #14?

[SaveElmer]

19. While the building s were burning...no...but not the same

Not an equivelent situation. There was the possibility that we were under attack and that eveyone was potentially in danger. Not to mention that the airlines had shut down. But, we did not cancel the season, New Yorkers didn;t want the Yankees season to be ended. In fact they could not wait to get back to it to have something else to think about. I haven't heard any outcries from people in New Orleans that sporting events were being held.

We have never shut down sporting events for natural disasters. Where do you draw the line. Should all entertainment of any kind be shut down, movies, plays, broadway?

And why do you not have any compassion for the thousands of hourly workers who only get paid when those events are held? Why should they be the ones to bear the brunt of this? Because you think it's "tacky" for these events to be held, minimum and low wage workers won't get paid...

As to post #14 I think it simply bolsters my point. The only one's that would be hurt by shutting down sporting events, are those minimum and low income workers.

[me b zola]

32. "Not an equivelent." You are correct. There is no boogie man to blame.

And the scale of the tragedy & human suffering is markedly larger for Katrina. And people are still dying. Now. They are still dying.

Yes, there were security issues following 911. But to say that the nation stopped functioning solely for security reasons is disingenuous. The nation mourned. Everyone was somber, cooperative, and conciliatory.

I don't recall if it was SNL or Letterman who asked months later, "Is it ok to laugh again?" Do you remember?

Professional sports, before they resumed, practically asked permission of the nation to carry on. Do you remember?

Do I advocate all entertainment to be shut down? No.

Am I completely shocked by the lack of mourning? Yes.

BTW, how many more have died while you read this?


Many acts of generosity occurred in the wake of 911. Many hourly workers who were affected financially by 911 still dug into their pockets to donate money to 911 families. You see, I have been poor. I have been an hourly worker. Besides knowing how difficult it is to live from paycheck to paycheck, I also know that the working poor are often the first ones to give to alleviate someone else's suffering. Please don't lecture me on what it is to be the working poor.

We could not be bothered enough to wait to carry on until all of the people are saved? What has happened to us?

The multi-billion dollar NFL couldn't give their hourly wage earners one week of payed time off? One week. Is your argument now going to be that I want to punish millionaires?


My point was not to focus on sporting events, nor was it to say that anything should be "shut-down".

My entire point is the lack of empathy, compassion, and mourning from our country for it's own citizens. We certainly possessed it when there was a boogie-man who killed many upper middle class white people in NYC. The sense of horror, sorrow & grief that I felt on 911 stayed with me and many others for well over a year. Why do only some of us feel that same way now?

[SaveElmer]

33. You are way off base...

Compassion abounds...every sporting event I have been to in the last week it is all people talk about...people are handing over money. Sports franchises are sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to hurricane relief...

Hourly workers after 911 dug into their pockets voluntarily...many are doing that now. We have no right to force them , in this case, to sacrifice their well being because some think it is tacky to have sporting events take place. By arbitrarily shutting down sporting events, we are forcing them to make a sacrifice they have no say in.

And again, 911 and this hurricane are not equivelent. We have never shut down sporting events for natural disasters, and there has never been an outcry to do so. And until I read these threads I had heard nothing of the kind in this case.

Your question about how many have died since I read your message means what...should we not be posting here...? It means nothing. I don;t need a lecture from you on feeling compassion for the dead.

Today, I am going to a sporting event, a minor league baseball game. The booster club I belong to supporting the players will have a table set up for hurricane relief. Any fan giving $10 or more will get from the team a souvenir team baseball. The team is donating half of it's game day receipts to hurricane relief. This effort is going on for the next three days. My question is, is it more compassionate to sit at home in front of your TV and computer complaining about sporting events taking place? Or is it more compassionate for the team to collect 10's of thousands of dollars over the next three days, and for it to donate thousands more? I think the latter, and I would venture to guess the refugees spreading through out the country would say the same.

[marbuc]

28. I did

I thought the sporting events after 9/11 should have carried on. Fuck OBL and AQ, if our lives stop, they win.

[fishwax]

30. I did too

I thought they should have played the games the next weekend. I know not everybody likes sports, but I think they can (maybe don't always) build community. At the first football game I went to after 9/11, I felt quite close to the 74,000 I was sharing a stadium with, and we raised over $70,000 for relief efforts just from putting pocket change in buckets that volunteers carried around, to say nothing of other funds that were raised at the game.

[me b zola]

2. Weren't all sporting events canceled after 911?

This tragedy is still on going, people are still dying, and they're playing football?

[Dissent Is Patriotic]

3. yes they were cancelled... n/t

[ncrainbowgrrl]

9. Yep. Apparently they too "need to go on with their lives."

Apparently the football players and fans must "need to go on with their lives," as
U. Louisiana-Lafayette was playing a game in Austin tonight...

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. Yes, but that was primarily out of fear of attacks.

:hi:

[gizmo1979]

12. People need a distraction

something to ease the mind for afew hours.

[havocmom]

5. what bugs the hell outta me is the gas to get to games

and the diesel for school buses to high school sports events. Not enough $$ for decent student to teacher ratios but $$ to drive jocks around?

Yeah, I know, sports builds character. So does facing reality. It takes diesel to grow and transport food. Which would you rather have? Tell the kids, maybe next year. Right now we all have other priorities. Kids are smart and will understand if we present it right.

[bushisanidiot]

13. American sports could have been suspended for at least a week out of

respect.. this is stupid that they are all still playing like nothing happened..

i'm mostly surprised that the saints are playing... are the players being forced to play?? i'd like to know how many of them are mad for having to be at the game instead of with their families

[Cha]

29. I kinda thought the same

when I saw a game on tv that someone at my home was watching..it's like..it's such a big country that we can have a war on Iraq goin' on, a killing of a major American city with all its inhabitants left with out their homes and businesses and many their lives; and sporting events go on ..business as usual.

It just seems weird to me.

[me b zola]

14. The disparity of the two tragedies: 911 & Katrina

Mostly wealthy, white victims: Time stood still in the US. Relief couldn't get there soon enough. People had to ask permission months later, "is it okay to laugh again?" Everyone stopped arguing, put aside their differences, and grieved together.

Mostly poor, Black victims: Instead of relief they are met with armed forces treating them like animals & criminals. No relief for days. Relief being denied to them. The pResident parties. Authorities are blaming the victims. Rethuglicans are smearing the victims. Football games continue as though nothing has happened, as though nothing is happening, WHILE PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING!!!!



There is going to be hell to pay for this disparity.

[confuddled]

18. Totally reflective of this countries priorities.

I find it generally disgusting and particularly appalling that the Saints are playing. How is it that the jocks don't see the disconnect here? We gotta take a break from the horrors of NOLA by watching a bunch of big guys (who are earning how much?) bash into each other? Then we'll go back to our righteous discussion of the pros and cons of looting, poverty,racism,greed and misplaced values. Very interesting. Time for a beer - or eight.

[SaveElmer]

20. How about stadium workers?

Why should they be punished because some find playing football tacky?

[Zen Democrat]

22. This is a national emergency, for God's sake.

[SaveElmer]

23. Explain to me...point by point...

Exactly how cancelling games does anything but punish stadium workers! Explain to me exactly how does it help the people in New Orleans to cancel these games. Find my any evidence that the victims of this care at all about whether these games are cancelled or not.

In fact I would argue it hurts the relief effeort. Most if not all professional teams are running fundraisers at their games (including the one I am working at tomorrow). Would New Orleans rather do without this aid?

[Redstone]

21. Others have asked this. I'm not a sports fan, but I cannot see

how cancelling the games would help the people down there.

Redstone

[SaveElmer]

25. It wouldn't...

In fact it would hurt them as most professional teams are running fundraisers at their games...

It also punishes hourly stadium workers who would have to bear the brunt of the cancellations!

[MercutioATC]

24. Agreed. We should have aggravated the impact to the economy...

...really screwed things up good.


How is it disrespectful to continue sporting events in the rest of the country? Should we have closed ALL of the businesses?
All that gets us is a bigger hurdle for the economy to overcome.

[fishnfla]

26. you forgot domed baseball games too

and all domed concerts that will be played this weekend. Why not just now?

Ban the Domes now!!!

[Had_enough_BS]

27. Don't worry about Domes

Theres only 4 left for Pro Sports, thing of the past. I agree they have nothing to do with the government fuck up down south, if those last games were not played, about 18 rookie kids made teams who have very poor families down south, if there was no games more likely they would been cut and they stay poor, so do their families!! Just don't turn it on and you will never know there is sports unless you want to, but if you just watch sports they do mention it and have a moment of silence...Why do you go to work during all this tragedy down there in the south? Better stay home or some one might get disgusted!!! Wake up!!

[newyawker99]

34. Had_enough_BS!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[magnolia]

31. There's no point in comparing the two tragedies.

It's not the deaths that are different...we are different.

The lives of the poor black people who are dying right now are as valuable as the lives of those who died on 9/11. And...the lives of Iraqis who die everyday are as valuable as Americans. Just this week, 1,000 Iraqis died. We've lost almost 2,000 of our young men and women to the war. The sad truth is that since Bush has been president there has been a lot of killing and a lot of dying. If we stopped living out of respect for the dead...we might as well just stop...period.