Yeah. that's what I remember from when I was a kid, playing sports (badly), having fun (yeah but so what), and being less cynical about pro sports. Crash Davis called it right when he called it "The Show".

Who was it that said, "Winning isn't everything -- it's the only thing"? Vince Lombardi?

And as you alluded, the violence in sports has risen dramatically over the past dozen or so years. (More on this in a future LJ post.)

If my daughter chooses to pursue sports, I pledge that I'm not going to be one of thse abusive sports dads.