Why I Used to Love Sports More Than Anything in the World but Not Today

I want to tell you a story that is not in any way involved with politics. This is about a typical young man in America who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s in Los Angeles, California.

My parents, grandparents, and one uncle moved from my birthplace in Lewiston, Idaho, to Los Angeles in 1951 when I was just five years old, and my brother three. The war was over, and new jobs had become available in our larger cities. In the west, employment opportunities were more available in southern California than anywhere else.

My family found affordable housing in the area surrounding Venice beach, an area that would require an income of more than one-half million dollars to afford the same location today.

We struggled to survive initially until changes in our family’s structure offered new opportunities. My mother divorced my abusive father and found employment at Hughes Aircraft. She would be making $50 a week with an opportunity for overtime. Our small one-bedroom apartment was now affordable, and we felt secure for the first time in our lives. I was about 10 years old.

Our apartment was less than one-half block from our Catholic church and its elementary school.

For me, the greatest change happened in 1958. With television as our primary source of entertainment, I had become a fan of all three major sports: basketball, football, and baseball. I had also become a fan of professional boxing. Baseball was my favorite and knowing that the Brooklyn Dodgers would become the Los Angeles Dodgers was one of the most important events in my young life.

Some of the all-time greats were still part of the team, including Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, and Duke Snyder. Recent acquisitions included Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and John Roseboro.

We were poor, and the first time my brother and I attended a game at the Coliseum was two years later. When my brother and I walked out of the tunnel and saw the field for the first time, we were in awe. Our seats, one level above the Dodger’s dugout, were $2.50 each.

Over the next decade, we attended Dodger games whenever possible after Dodger Stadium opened in 1962.

In 1960, my first year in high school, the Minneapolis Lakers played their first professional basketball season in Los Angeles. By this time, basketball had become my sport of choice. I had been an average pitcher in my childhood baseball league, but my physical stature and abilities were more aligned with basketball.

The football coach at my first high school, St. Bernard’s, asked me to join his team, but I was skinny and although I loved the game, I believed I would be broken in half on the field. My strong and accurate arm was not enough to allow me to place my physical health in jeopardy.

When Jerry West was drafted by the Lakers, I was excited. “Zeke from Cabin Creek” was who I wanted to be. His ‘jump shot’ was unstoppable, and my high school games and yearbook pictures were a perfect attempt to emulate his talents.

I won’t bore you with additional information about my average athletic abilities, but I want you all to understand what sports meant to me and other underprivileged young men in America in years-long forgotten.

When I had my own children, living in San Diego, we attended Padres’ games and for the five of us, our seats cost $12.50.

Tonight, I was watching the first segment of a documentary about the man who might have been the greatest basketball player in NBA history, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. He became a Los Angeles Laker in 1979 and helped save a dying league. He was exciting and at 19 years of age inspired millions of younger Americans. This was an era when being a member of a team meant something, unlike today when personal income is the priority. Not only was I reminded of his greatness, and that of his team, I remembered what sports meant to the people when teams meant something. I thought about my personal sports idols including Sandy Koufax, Don Gibson, and other great pitchers. I remembered great quarterbacks like Norm Van Brocklin, Johnny Unitas, and Joe Namath. I was in awe of Bill Russel, Bob Cousy, and others who helped me forget some of my life’s difficulties.

I no longer watch professional sports today, with the exception of some NFL games. A few exceptional athletes arouse my interest, but most games are disappointing. The NFL has the worst officials in all of professional sports, and I believe that the league is biased and has been corrupted by the almighty god, money. With free agency, baseball and basketball have become games of individuals, and teams are no longer a reality.

The point of this article is that once again profits for billionaires outweigh the ability of the people to enjoy the basics of a free society. I cannot afford to attend any professional game today. Here in Reno, we have a AAA baseball team, but attending a single game is beyond my financial capability.

The changes in our nation affect more than one-half of our nation’s people. As long as the profits of large corporations outweigh the quality of life for the majority, the end of America is unstoppable.

One entire political party supports our current plutocracy, and this will end our nation’s future.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

Baseball Almanac: 1958 LOS ANGELES DODGERS ROSTER
SPORT-NET: WHEN DID LAKERS MOVE TO LA? By Art Blickenstaff

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Fido’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Chrisjnelson Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License