Distance Running is the Only Sport That Matters
David Stipp, writing at Slate.com, makes a compelling argument that “every sport other than long-distance running is fundamentally absurd.”
I’ve known that for a while, but why does Stipp think this?
In his article All Men Can’t Jump, he argues that despite the fact “we crowd into arenas and stadiums to marvel at our pathetic physical abilities as if they were something special,” among the animals, man is pretty pathetic at everything except long-distance running.
Even run-of-the-mill joggers typically do between 3.2 and 4.2 meters per second, which means they can outrun dogs at distances greater than two kilometers.
It’s a pretty entertaining read, and filled with useful information to throw at cocktail party loudmouths yacking endlessly about their favorite professional sports.
It also has some links to pretty good videos of dogs playing Frisbee and cats jumping really high into the air.