On the Ball: A little bit of everything

The sports news comes fast and furious

Posted by Sarah K. Burkhalter at 10:44 PM on 04 May 2007

Read more about: green living | sports | celebrity | London

Oy. I am quite behind on my sporting reporting. So I bring you a linky post -- thank you, David, for teaching me the ropes. (And I'm sorry you lost your 35-tab ginormous linky post last night. We feel your pain.)

Without further ado:

Both the print Sports Illustrated and a recent Wall Street Journal article mention oh-so-briefly that Phoenix Suns basketball star Steve Nash hearts the environment. However, either my Google is broken, or Nash likes to keep his green sensibilities on the downlow. Anyone got any info on this? Anyone? Bueller?

On Earth Day (goodness I'm behind) the Associated Press more or less wrote this column for me.

From Canada: Global warming skepticism for the golfer's soul.

China may clean up its air by creating artificial rain during the 2008 Olympics. With that under control, they are confident of a clean Games. As is London, for its 2012 outing -- says organizing-committee chairperson (and bad-ass middle-distance runner) Sebastian Coe: "London 2012 One Planet Olympics will demonstrate to young people the power of the Games to bring the world together through sport to address vital environmental issues -- such as climate change -- and change lives through creating better ways of living and caring for the environment."

Calamity James strikes again!

And speaking of English sports (love the segue, love it!), surfers in the U.K. are riled up about wave power plants. (For more surfer news, see this week's Grist List.)

And finally: What if synthetic turf is harmful? I never even thought to be concerned about artificial grass! Obviously, I should be doing more worrying.

For story: On the Ball: A little bit of everything
2 Comments | Post a Comment

as long as people are railing against...

SARCASM ALERT SARCASM ALERT SARCASM ALERT

As long as people railing against suburbs, commercial air travel, consuming meat, using more than one square of toilet paper, et cetera...

How about some discussion of spectator mega-sports? Huge brightly lit stadiums. Thousands of people converging on them by automobile. People grilling food over charcoal. Athletes flying all over the world. The rampant consumerism dependent on advertising delivered during such events.

Seems to me it must generate an enormous amount of excess CO2 and other environmental hazards. Should we be banning this sort of stuff? Efficiency is not even relevant... what value can someone even assign to sitting on your butt watching someone else play baseball or run around in circles on a track?

Shouldn't true environmentalists be calling for an end to spectator sports and a return to wholesome simulated war between local teams composed of ourselves and our neighbors? Perhaps even dispense with the synthetic ball and go back to kicking a head between villiages? It would result in a more fit citizenry and build community.

by wiscidea at 11:40 AM on 07 May 2007

Yes, Wiscidea!

I lived in Louisville, Ky, until recently. The environmental consequences of the Derby are enormous. And before the Derby, there is a godawful event called Thunder Over Louisville where planes fly all over the river, people picnic on the Ohio's banks (and litter), and a gazillion fireworks go off. The air and ground pollution is amazing. Then there is a parade- I drove down the main street after the parade and the trash was piled waist high- I kid you not.
Also: Let's have an end to flying to environmental (and other) conferences!

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

by karenc at 2:32 PM on 07 May 2007
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