Every so often, there is an event that is incorrectly labelled as a sport. Basically, there should be certain criteria for something to be a sport - it is physically demanding, one needs to be a great shape to compete in it at a high level, participants sweat through their own exertion, and there is a score. Notice that none of the aforementioned criteria involve being a pimply faced geek with four inch thick glasses.
Presently, the National Spelling Bee is being televised on ESPN. That's right, the 'World Leader In Sports'. But guess what - this is as much a sport as Nero was a benevolent leader of nations. If spelling is such a physically demanding sport, then Webster and the people at Oxford's Dictionary should be considered athletes on par with LeBron James, Derek Jeter, and Tom Brady.
Yes, these kids are smart. However, these kids probably spend as much time playing an actual sport as Craig Sager spends looking at himself in a mirror. It is great that there are a few people out there that actually can spell the most obscure and random words in the English language, yet it's fairly certain that being able to spell 'Diuril' or 'Myrtillocactus' will not generate employment offers - unless the job is being an ubergeek.
Things that are not sports - such as chess, horse racing, golf, and the spelling bee - should be left to where they belong, elsewhere. Stop putting these things on sports channels and sports highlight shows. That is the place for great catches, physical contact, and the ability to do amazing things with a ball or puck. That is not the place for being able to spell 'Kyoodle'.
So, knock yourselves out watching some dork trying to spell 'Aneuch'. As for myself, I'm going to actually have a life.
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