Cycling vs. baseball
Baseball is all the rage in Canada these days. Still, to an avid cyclist, there's no topping our sport.
by Larry Humber
Baseball is all the rage in Canada these days, in large part because of the success of the Toronto Blue Jays. They are playoff bound after years in the wilderness. Still, to an avid cyclist, there’s no topping our sport. Here’s why.
- Cycling is a much better workout. Just ask a ballplayer. One of my fave baseball stories featured a star player who was questioned about his fitness by a female fan. “Aren’t you guys athletes?” she wondered.
“We’re not athletes, mam,” he replied. “We’re ballplayers.” - Cycling is a participant-based sport, whereas most baseball enthusiasts are merely fans. Sure, cyclists love to follow the Tour de France on TV, but they spend the bulk of their time out on the roads.
- At a ball game, fans must keep their distance. They are hardly made to feel part of the action. Even touching a ball that is deemed catchable may get you ejected. That’s hardly the case in cycling. As the riders make their way up a steep mountain road, they are surrounded by fans, who may even resort to an occasional slap on the back or “helpful” push.
- Many of those who attend ball games are in the line of fire, and those foul balls can wreak havoc, especially for the unwary. While cycling can be dangerous for the pros, the hazards to fans are few, as long as they mind the barriers.
- For those who have not attended a ball game recently, those seats get packed tightly to get as may fans as possible in. Bicycle saddles may be on the slender side, but you don’t have to rub shoulders or knees with anyone, even if you are in the peloton.
- You have to pay to watch baseball. Those beers and hotdogs are hardly cheap, either. Even the most celebrated bike races, like the Tour de France, are gratis. Better still, they toss out all kinds of merchandise, some of which is edible, for which you pay nary a penny.
- Baseball is increasingly becoming an indoor event. Toronto’s Rogers Centre is just one of a number of domed facilities. Yes, there are velodromes to be tried, but for the most part, we ride in the great outdoors.
