I was never a big sports fan, and I became less of one about 15 years ago.
I was at a tea party hosted by my aunt and shared a conversation with Anne Tapp, executive director of Safe House Alliance, a domestic violence shelter in Boulder. She made a statement that comes to mind literally every time I think of professional sports.
“Our busiest days are when the Broncos lose,” she said. Apparently a lot of people take the game pretty seriously.
Here are a few statistics compiled by the FBI, the Surgeon General’s Office and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
* Twenty-one percent of all women who use hospital emergency surgical services are battered.
* Six million American women are beaten each year by their husbands or boyfriends; 4,000 of them are killed.
* Acts of domestic violence occur every 18 seconds in the United States.
The abuse is not just directed at women. Here are the sobering statistics about children and domestic violence.
* It is estimated that approximately 7.5 million children witness abuse of a parent, typically the mother, each year.
* Fathers who battered the mother are twice as likely to seek sole custody of their children as are non-violent fathers.
* Children in homes where domestic violence occurs are physically abused or neglected at a rate 1,500 percent higher than the national average.
“Why don’t these women leave?” you ask. Leaving is often associated with safety, but that’s often not the case, as these facts illustrate:
* The risk of homicide is higher in the first two months after separation.
* More than 70 percent of the women injured in domestic violence cases are injured after separation.
I think we all need entertainment, and a lot of people enjoy watching sports. Good for them. But when it consumes their life and logical thinking is lost, it’s gone too far.
In the big scheme of things, is it really that important whether the Broncos (or any other team) win or lose? Have we lost sight of what really matters in life?
Imagine for just a moment, if we took all the money from beer sales at professional sporting events and put it into programs for kids and families. Now let’s add the money from ticket sales. While we’re at it, let’s go ahead and add players’ and coaches’ salaries. Imagine how far that would go to educate, motivate and entertain our nation’s children.
What if men spent three hours on Sunday playing ball with their children instead of sitting in a recliner screaming at the TV? Wouldn’t it be great if Monday nights were spent helping children with their home work? I know there are a lot of kids yearning for their parent’s attention. It is sad that not only are they competing with their parents’ jobs and busy schedules, they are also contending with sports.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great parents who enjoy watching the game, but there are far too many who put these athletes on pedestals and ignore, or worse, abuse or neglect their families.
I think it is awesome that the Broncos have Tim Tebow as their quarterback. He has restored my faith somewhat in professional players. The example he sets is commendable. But he knows, just like I do, that he is isn’t a saint like some suggest. He’s just a man doing the best he can to do his job and be a good person. If you think otherwise, he will let you down eventually. That’s when all these feel-good emotions and euphoria turn to disappointment and violence.
So, sports fans, I wish your team well, honestly I do, but only because it will mean fewer battered women and children in this country.
If your team doesn’t do so well, and you must beat something, try beating your own head against the wall. Please remember, the wife, kids and dogs are off-limits.
After all, it’s just a game.
Lorraine Melgosa (lorrainemelgosa@yahoo.com) of Manzanola is a self-employed farmer and owner of the Wellington Carriage Company.
