Is there an addiction in North America that is more powerful than either drugs or alcohol?

I think there is. I searched Google for definitions of “Addiction,” and I found several that seem to apply to a far more universal, and perhaps more damaging, addiction than either drugs or alcohol.

Here are some of the answers I got:

1. Being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming.

2. An abnormally strong craving.

3. An obsession, compulsion, or excessive psychological dependence.

This addiction is taxpayer supported, causes death to some and permanent injury to many.

Many parents knowingly encourage their children to devote a great deal of their time to becoming addicted.

Adults, often with limited incomes, spend billions of dollars on enhancing this addiction.

The media, newspapers and radio/television, spend much of their budgets on promoting this addiction.

It is raging even in many of the most religious communities in the nation.

As far as I can see this addiction doesn’t enhance the productive lives of many and destroys the lives of legions.

I am unaware of any efforts being made to combat this addiction. There doesn’t seem to be any “Alcoholics Anonymous” for this addiction, and yet it has dominated the lives of millions and the numbers are continuing to rise everyday.

Elsewhere in the world, where our economic competition is rising, this addiction is under far better control and their population is spending more of its time on constructive, instead of destructive, activities.

What is this addiction? If you haven’t already guessed, coming from me, I will let the “Cat out of the bag” and this cat has its claws in many of you. It is sports.

What are many of you doing on any Saturday or Sunday afternoon? Watching a sports event on your expensive home entertainment center I would guess. What will the outcome of this event do to better your life? I wish I knew.

When your kids are young do you sign them up for sports programs that you will spend more time and money on than you will on their education? It happens to far too many.

Are your children aspiring to being professional athletes? Are your children hoping to go to college to “play” Division I sports, instead of acquiring some life long productive skills? I have heard this all too often.

Have you voted on taxes to build coliseums in your community or country? Almost half of us voted for two coliseums in King County, and we routinely vote to build and maintain coliseums in our local communities. Cities, such as Kent and Tacoma, have gone beyond the standard coliseums to build what have turned out to be money losing coliseums where they can watch groups that often contain some pretty bad characters compete.

Have you supported “Gladiator Training” in your local schools to show the next community how much better your gladiators are than theirs? Have you showed any interest in supporting an academic competition instead of gladiator competition? I don’t think so.

As one of Federal Way’s high school principals put it, “We can get parent support for athletics and the band, but we cannot get the same level of support for academics.” The addiction has a firm grip here.

Do we think that the greatness of our communities is determined by its athletic teams?

Massilion, Ohio is known for its high school football teams. It is also now in the heart of the “Rust Belt” of America. A place where old technology has died, and there isn’t any replacement on the horizon. Could it be that the “skills” of the football team are not what will attract the new prosperity? Could it be that the citizens of Massilion are far too addicted to even understand that knowledge now trumps the forward pass? I suspect that they are either at a Browns game or watching it on TV.

Do we believe that gladiator training tops academic training? When pushed to increase academic training and reduce the sports addiction there are few that would accept this. There are only 24 hours in a day and 180 school days. Where do you think this time should be spent? Are you an addict?