Balls in sport: Their impact on the planet and searching for sustainable solutions
Balls are a fundamental part of many sports and millions are produced around the world each year.
Many are made of leather - it takes 35,000 cow hides to make the 700,000 balls used in a regulation NFL season - while the use of rubber and plastic is also widespread.
The materials used, the production processes and the fact many end up either in landfill or in the sea means balls can have a negative impact on the environment.
So what are the issues and can anything be done about them?
8 comments:
I've just found a remark about "The Great American Songbook".
'No doubt some of the lyrics are banal, but many others aspire to poetic level—”And now the purple dusk of twilight time steals across the meadows of my heart.” Or, “you are the promised breath of springtime that makes the lonely winter seem long.”'
I can accept that the second example is poetry - in the right circs it might even be moving.
The first, however, seems to me utter drivel of a BBC-like standard. Maybe, oh blogger, you should from time to time invite other nominations for BBCballs.
I don't know why the BBC bother with sport at all. It's racist, sexist, homo- and trans-phobic, ageist, colonialist, spreads Covid, involves the exploitation of workers, and now it's bad for the environment as well. Surely a boycott (no, not the cricketer) is called for. I'd definitely support that.
The solution is right in front of us.
Cricket balls.
Yes, balls made of crickets.
And the old balls can go to the kitchen.
Chitins, chitlins? Only an "L" of a difference.
Get Heston Bloominall on the job.
Lol…
It's coz when they find out, some people get spooked by the sheer scale of what must be provided to sustain human existence. Oh the food, the raw materials, the processing, the carbon, groan groan. What the hell do their small minds expect? There ARE 7 billion of us!
On second thoughts "BBCballs" won't do. How about Beebballs?
Perhaps desperate efforts by broadcasters and other media to capture peoples' attention through dubious articles and other click bait are also having a negative effect on the environment?
You don't see many arguments about reducing the volume of information to a sustainable level, but then there are already too many journalists chasing too few jobs. Surprise!
dearieme - that's a good idea - I prefer Beebballs too. The "British Ballscasting Company" AKA "Beebballs" or something similar maybe.
Sam - and elitist, although that's probably part of its appeal for the BBC.
Doonhamer - good idea. Instead of strawberries, Wimbledon could serve up steamed balls as a light snack. Old balls of course.
Anon - the BBC just keeps on giving.
Tammly - I'm sure that's it. Freaking out over big numbers without understanding how it can all take care of itself if allowed to.
DJ - yes it often comes across as frantic and also a phase. As if sooner or later it will have to calm down as people tire of it.
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