‘Tis the Never-Ending Season

(Consumer Safety & Awareness article: Part 44)

Guest Editorial from
Nancy Dickerson, Slightly Creaky Active Living Columnist.

Teachers once taught that a year held four seasons: spring, summer, fall or autumn, and winter. Now certain parts of the country probably had to use a great deal of imagination to divide the days of sunshine from sunshine, but maybe the oranges grew riper during one season or something of that nature. At any rate, children knew fall approached when Halloween and Thanksgiving dominated their art work at school. And finally the winter season had confirmation in pictures of snowflakes and snowmen made of Styrofoam or other art supplies.

Today seasons have completely changed, and the change has absolutely nothing to do with global warming or even political correctness. If spring is now welcomed with a picture of a cardinal, the bird is plainly decorating a baseball uniform. Fall, of course, is welcomed with the bright red bird on a football uniform. In some strange manner the seasons have gone from falling leaves and snowflakes to failing drug tests, breaking bats, and an entire battalion of assorted creatures which somehow have come to represent team spirit and aggressiveness. Who knew that a dolphin could be so dangerous? Or that a cardinal could be induced to tear someone’s head off or stomp on another player?

This change in the seasons has not restricted itself to one nation; indeed, some nations have divided themselves along national sports boundaries. Soccer games or some other event can ignite riots and a national emergency. Stampeding fans and stadiums that are ill-equipped for the enthusiasm of sports fans have been responsible for deaths in many countries.

Finally, from these changes have come new heroes—the national champion sports stars. Strength, agility, precision, and natural athletic abilities bring admiration beyond belief to men and women who become national symbols. Those men and women receive remuneration many times higher than many other well-known individuals.

But the wealth and fame come with a price. Just as the flashy cardinal is instantly recognizable, so too are many famous sports figures. Unfortunately, notoriety quickly follows the loss of anonymity when these men and women lack the morals or character of true heroes. Thus has developed the latest seasonal game: disparagement of the intrepid dissolute. Will teachers soon be teaching children how to draw and use a megaphone?