NBA or ACT? No question
By Jake Boyle

   As my junior year comes to a close, it seems as if I am in a rush to get everything done. AP tests pop up conveniently in the middle of my week, different final projects slap me in the face around every corner, and this pesky junior theme stops by to say “hello” whenever I feel as though I’ve got everything done. Not to mention ACTs, SATs, LOLs, or other three letter tests that force me to wake up earlier on Saturday than I did on Friday. Then I have prom on Saturday, so I need to scramble to buy tickets, rent a tuxedo, and find a clever way to ask my date.
  But there is nothing that derails a solid end of the year run like keeping up with the various sports seasons that are ending or beginning this time of year. Who has time to study when the Cubs are up 4-1 on the Phillies in the ninth? And who has the heart to work on his junior theme after watching the Bulls get pulverized by the Pistons? I’ve interrupted myself writing this piece twice already to check ESPN.com.
  There’s nothing quite as hypocritical as planning on coming straight home after school to do work, only to plop down on the couch and watch “Around the Horn,” not because you care what Jay Mariotti says about Michael Vick’s pitbulls, but because it’s on before “Pardon the Interruption” and you want to hear what Tony Kornheiser says about Michael Vick’s pitbulls.
  Some of my friends mock the very notion of sports. I admit there is something ridiculous about watching lavishly paid ego-maniacs chase a spherical object up and down a field, court, rink, what have you. There’s a lot to laugh about millionaire rapper wannabes jacked up on steroids rambling through a post-game interview, thanking God for their innate ability to run, jump, and catch better than other millionaire rapper wannabes jacked up on steroids.
  These friends scoff at how emotionally involved some people, including myself, get while watching the intellectual equivalent of a three-ring circus. In the long run, studying for math would probably be a better use of my time then screaming for Oscar de la Hoya to kill Floyd Mayweather. And knowing when the United States entered World War I is a better use of space in my brain than the fact that no team in NBA Playoff history has come back to win a series from down 3-0 (even though I still have faith in my Bulls).
  And the sheer violence of many professional sports adds another element. How, in our allegedly civilized and developed culture, do we resort to entertainment that borders on the barbarianism of the ancient Romans?
  The answer is simple: because it’s fun. Life is hard. Plain and simple, sometimes being a human being can be a pain in the you-know-what. Why follow sports? Why do anything? I pass up the opportunity to do extra work on homework because I’m leaning forward on my couch staring intently at the television, waiting for the next big play from Devin Hester, Luol Deng, or maybe some one I’ve never heard of. I got too much to do; I don’t need to spend my precious free time to worry about the implications of watching sports, about whether or not what I’m doing is worthwhile. It’s the same for anything; just because what you’re doing may seem pointless, don’t worry that you could be doing something “better.” Watch sports. Enjoy.