This past weekend, your On Fire correspondent was watching his (or her) favorite television network, ESPN, and saw that bowling was on.
This got your On Fire correspondent thinking about the iconic picture of President Richard Nixon bowling in the White House’s bowling alley.
Recently, in 2008, a new picture of the White House bowling alley came out ... and it is sad.
This bowling alley would be great, if it were 1976. The pale wallpaper of stripes and bowling pins mixed with chairs you’d find in a middle school library make your On Fire correspondent embarrassed that the current White House staff has not given bowling the attention it deserves as a serious sport.
This got your On Fire correspondent also thinking about the White House basketball court. It is so much nicer than the bowling alley. Now, your On Fire correspondent can’t help but wonder, are some sports more important than others in the eyes of the White House? Is bowling deemed not as serious a sport as basketball?
Bowling, along with many other sports, is one of those sports that people kind of sigh when they see it on ESPN or Yahoo Sports. "Who really cares?," people think. People nowadays would rather see baseball, basketball or football on the TV. Yet, what these people don’t understand is that there are so many athletes who play lesser-loved sports who also want some love.
It’s like when your On Fire correspondent was a young, little On Fire correspondent playing in the little leagues. Your On Fire correspondent tried out all the sports. Your On Fire correspondent was encouraged by his (or her) parents to try everything.
Your On Fire correspondent decided that he (or she) loved curling. Your On Fire correspondent’s parents were disappointed; they wanted your On Fire correspondent to become a football or basketball star. But, your On Fire correspondent loved curling: the camaraderie, the ice, the brooms, everything about curling was enticing.
Everyone at grade school made fun of your On Fire correspondent’s love for curling. They said it was a weird sport, that it wasn’t athletic and was dumb.
This hurt your On Fire correspondent’s feelings. Curling was my life. And curling was hard work and VERY athletic. The school children just didn’t understand. The curling team required two-a-day practices: weight training in the morning and practice at night. It was an extremely time-intensive sport and got your On Fire correspondent in great shape.
One of the most enjoyable experiences for your On Fire correspondent was watching curling on ESPN. Seeing the coverage of the greats of the sport gave your On Fire correspondent hope that maybe your On Fire correspondent could one day get on that level.
Therefore, how the hell can the White House deem which sports are more important that others?
Renovate the bowling alley!
