1) When people make an absurd amount of money betting on certain players/teams. Yes, it is your money and you have a right to do whatever you choose with it, but it seems not only wrong but also pathetic to get your big bucks through someone else's years of hard work. These athletes put an unspeakable amount of blood, sweat, and tears to get where they are today. I know I certainly haven't worked one-tenth as hard as these guys, yet I'd still be FURIOUS if anyone made even $100 off a success of mine, simply because they thought I was a good bet. It just isn't right. It's nice to believe in your sports celebrities and cheer hard for your heroes, but to make money off of them is just stupid.
What about gambling, like in poker and at casinos? Well, that's stupid too, but it can be fun, and you're playing with CARDS and DICE, not other people's careers and passions and dedication.
2) When it generates so much negative emotion. It seems like everyone these days has something mean and scathing to say about Lebron James, and he's got his own tight-lipped retorts to shoot right back at his haters. As a spectator who enjoys watching basketball but is neither an enthusiast (at all) nor from Cleveland, my opinion on the matter is this. So he grew up playing basketball in Cleveland and became the city's pride and joy...that's great, but he still has a right to do whatever he thinks is best for his career. Valuing championships over his team/hometown may be selfish, but it's his choice to make. Furthermore, his decision to join Miami wasn't a FAILURE like the media keeps emphasizing...they got to the Finals, didn't they? It was short-sighted of James to make big talk about a guaranteed win, but that's no reason to celebrate over his loss. It's the same principle as throwing a party when Bin Laden died, or laughing gleefully when an unfriendly ex-boyfriend gets dumped. It's just taking the work of fate/karma and turning it into a personal victory, which is an immature and petty way to react, in my opinion. But now I'm getting sidetracked. In any case, there is some truth to what Lebron said...people can cheer at his "failure," but in the end, how does it really affect their own self pride and satisfaction?
On a side note, I do appreciate sports, even though I don't understand them most of the time. I appreciate how it bring communities closer together, and how it makes talented people work their hardest and shine their brightest. Every time I see a huge crowd of loyal fans' reaction as their team scores a winning point, I get teary. Remember ALL the videos of America's reaction when Landon Donovan scored that goal in the World Cup? Beautiful.
