Scott on Nostr: It feels good to feel good again (about professional sports) For the past decade or ...

It feels good to feel good again (about professional sports)

For the past decade or so I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with professional sports; in my case, football and basketball.

As a former footballer who (many years ago) dabbled professionally, and who has carried that passion forward as a fan of both football and basketball, there are a few reasons for the "off-again" moments.

The first, of course, has to do with unrequited dreams. Yeah, what coulda and shoulda been. I've got therapy for that though. It's now less of a factor.

The more significant factors in my "off-again" moments have to do with the considerable social consequences of professional sport as an opiate of the masses, and the extent to which the scales have tipped heavily in favour of sport as (global) business.

Why worry about major social, political, and economic issues when one can lose oneself in the trivia and minutia of this year's sportsball standings, right? And, anyhow, fewer players and fans alike are connected to a local town or city. It's all just de-racinated business. Teams have increasingly become global brands, largely as a prerequisite to flourish in the era of hyper-financialization of sport. In the end, what is it all worth? How does this benefit me and the issues that I care about?

All that said, I also celebrate the profound social and global good of sport (including at its professional levels): the many lessons about integrity, teamwork, and proof of work; providing a healthy channel for aggression and competition; providing a mechanism for social belonging; and, fostering bridges across cultures, nationalities, and many tense social and political divides. These are all the things that continue to pull me back into my "on-again" moments with professional sports, especially as the parent of children who are all now immersed in football.

I must confess though that, over the past decade, it has felt harder and harder to justify space in my soul for pro sports. I have this lingering feeling that, on the whole, pro sports are distractions that may be doing more harm than good.

Over the past year though, a cause for optimism has emerged. A certain "x factor" has been gaining steam and has been pulling me back in. I'm referring to the decision of various sports franchises to tether their vision and activities to #Bitcoin as a means of organizational growth and advancement, and as a way to connect their organization to a larger movement aimed at building a better world.

Among them are football clubs @realbedford. 🇬🇧, Botev (npub19jf…8rx0) 🇧🇬, @FCLugano1908 🇨🇭, and baseball team @PerthHeat 🇦🇺 -- all franchises which, it's very safe to say, would not otherwise be on my radar.

Perhaps most prominent among these is @realbedford, a club which plays in England's Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division, about 10 divisions below England's famed Premier League.

In a move that has captured a remarkable amount of global attention and support (including from yours truly) @realbedford has set the ambitious goal of climbing the ranks of England's football leagues to the Premier League by leveraging what club Chairman petermccormack (npub14mc…frlx) has called the Bitcoin "cheat code".

The cheat code involves harnessing the multiple advantages of #Bitcoin  as sound money, as a powerful savings tool, and as a truly decentralized, global network and movement. Learn more at: dailybitcoiner.substack.com/p/the-bitcoin-….

The other clubs I mention above have all adopted this cheat code in their own ways. I wager other will soon follow. Not only are these clubs amassing a global supporter base, they are enhancing their day-to-day operations, and they helping advance the global #Bitcoin  movement.

In the case of Real Bedford, McCormack explicitly articulates this as a vision for revitalizing the town of Bedford, his home since childhood. So yes, a professional sports franchise with business ambitions is at the centre, but this is fundamentally about community development and positive social impact. Be still my community developer heart!

I'm under no illusion that all of the above is a panacea for professional sports. I'm certain that the forces which have, for years now, caused that "off-again" push for me will continue apace. However, in the grand scheme of things, sports clubs harnessing the #Bitcoin  cheat code are chalking up major points in the "on-again" side of the ledger for me.

Sure, I'll continue to bat an eye at the Premier League race between Arsenal and Liverpool (ahem, go Arsenal!) but I'm remarkably more interested in tracking @realbedford's progress. The same goes for @Botev_EN and @FCLugano1908, and I'll be watching for the day when all three clubs make their way into Champions League discussions.

At a moment in time when there are so many causes for pessimism, #Bitcoin cheat code sports teams provide much needed hope. I'm feeding these energies and I encourage others to do so.

Closer to home, I am not aware of any MLS teams that have yet signaled their intention to join the ranks of #Bitcoin  cheat code franchises. What's certain is that there are clear early mover advantages to doing so and the clock is ticking. Who knows, maybe @TorontoFC will be the first. That would be epic!

Most important to me, for now, is that these trails are being blazed and it makes me feel good again, in new and unanticipated ways, about losing myself in the love of the game at its professional levels. ⚽️🧡