I'm just not as into sports anymore ...

I've aways been something of a sports fan, though the depth of my engagement in athletics has shifted, based on what's going on in my life.

When I was a kid, I got into the Mariners and Seahawks to a degree because they were new to Seattle. And then in '79, the Sonics won the title, briefly engaging my interest in the team and curly-top center Jack Sikma. I collected literally thousands of baseball cards, in part because my obsessive tendencies needed an outlet, and sports joined the cycle that also included Star Wars/Star Trek, Oz, etc.

I was never a fan of, you know, actually watching the games with an eye towards understanding them in depth. I mean, the obsessive part learned a lot of details, but I actually don't enjoy just sitting and watching a baseball game. Football is more interesting to me, maybe because the style of play has more drama than the chess-match stylings of America's Pastime. I like basketball in person, but not on TV. It's just harder to tell what the heck is going on. Football, on the other hand, is much more enjoyable on TV (for me). The cameras can get in close and illuminate the action in ways that I find entertaining.

Anyhoo, a year ago, I was in charge of the Seattle P-I sports department. And the Seahawks were in the middle of a playoff run. I subscribed to ESPN the magazine and listened to Jim Rome on the radio. And I enjoyed it. But I've since moved on to a different job and focus, and I find myself much less interested in all things (or even select things) sporty. I steal read the excellent blog deadspin.com, which is entertainingly written and mostly focuses on sports through a pop cultural filter (my favorite kind).

I still listen to sports on the radio, though often it's by default (like if there's nothing good on NPR). I know everyone needs an interest. Everyone has a reserve of attention that they pour into the buckets of their choosing. Mine is certainly not always poured into Proust, or politics, or shit that makes me seem smart. But sports increasingly seems just so empty ....

I was watching the playoffs briefly this afternoon and thinking of the "storylines:" Brady vs. Manning, hunk vs. geek, Super Bowl Champ vs. Guy People Think Can't Win the Big One. Very, very rich guy vs. very, very rich guy. I think I prefer scripted drama now, with a healthy soupcon of, ya know, real life and all its messes.