Go Figure

I tend to be one of those people who bounces around the radio dial when I'm in the car. If something doesn't interest me, I'll pop a pre-set button and go somewhere else. So, I tend to sample a lot of what's out there. I lean toward talk and sports-talk radio, but I also enjoy several of the music stations.

During this week when the U.S. Figure Skating Championships have been contested at the Savvis Center, I've run into several hosts who enjoyed themselves by poking fun at figure skating and it's people. The tone of their comments was one of looking down their nose at the event and anyone who would have the inclination to enjoy attending.

I guess what I'm building up to is that as I grow older, I find it more and more difficult to stomach this sort of barroom mentality, particularly on the radio. You would think by listening to some of these guys that anyone who enjoys figure skating has got to either be a woman, gay, or a gay woman...or something less than what they consider human. Now even if that would all be true, it shouldn't take figure skating into the realm of scorn and ridicule. "Figure skating...heh heh...snicker, snicker...Spangles and glitter...heh heh...snicker...snicker...hair spray...tight pants...short skirts...heh heh...snicker... pass me another cigar."

Now, I've never spent a whole lot of time watching Brian Boitano or Katarina Witt specials on TV either, but I don't feel threatened by the activity. Notice I didn't use the word sport. Because, frankly I have a hard time calling it a real sport myself. A competition...OK...a physical contest...maybe...but more of a judged movement exhibition than a sport. Sort of like ballroom dancing. All that being said, some of my favorite radio hosts seemingly are compelled to belittle the competition and it's participants to make themselves feel better about being a "he-man, hairy legged, beer drinkin', ass whoopin, if-you-ain't-with-me-you're-agin-me, I-ain't-never-seen-a-cheeseburger-I couldn't-eat sports guy."-- "Heh heh...snicker...I seen that Witt woman with her top off in Playboy once."

You might think just for the good of commerce in St. Louis that these guys would hold back until the people staging this event are back home and out of earshot. Different strokes for different folks guys. And performing to the enjoyment of many should be just as acceptable on the ice in figure skates as it is in helmets and pads.