Part 1
Courtney: Okay, Michael, well, thanks for coming today for this interview on sports. Now, you yourself are quite an avid sports player. You've told me that you've played basketball, hockey, a lot of different types of sports. Now can you tell me a little bit about what kinds of sports are your favorite, and why they're your favorite? Michael: I would make two quick divisions-separations. One would be "sports I like to watch," and "sports I like to play. " Currently, these days I'm watching more sports than I'm playing, because of injuries, so maybe I'll quickly touch on that. I like watching basketball the most on television. Hockey, I like watching toward the playoffs.
Courtney: Right. Now, we are in the midst of the playoffs right now here in North America-well, the U. S. and Canada-with the playoffs of hockey. What can you tell me about hockey and this big sport that is quite popular in Canada and the United States?
Michael: What can I tell you about hockey?
Courtney: Yeah, what can you tell me about it? Why is it so popular here? Why might you think it's so popular here? It seems to be a popular sport in this part of the world. All the kids play it, everyone's playing it, it's popular on TV, people are talking about it, it's in the newspapers. Maybe elaborate a little bit on that.
Michael: Well, I think similar to America, in the way that football and baseball are so popular-and basketball to a slightly lesser extent-I think it has a lot to do with history and how much it is intertwined with the culture of the people. Hockey is so popular in Canada because it is the game that is part of our heritage. It's the game that people have been playing for over a hundred years in this country, so it's become an integral part of sport and culture. Courtney: Right. Now, one thing I've noticed about hockey is that there is a big rivalry with Canada and the United States, it seems. Now, why do you think this is? Does it tie into other things-politics, social situations. Can you elaborate on that for me, or discuss it?
Michael: Why is there a controversy or rivalry between the Americans and the Canadians in hockey?
Courtney: In hockey, yeah.
Michael: Well, I think it comes down to Canadians-well, there's a lot of factors in effect, but one of the big ones-Canadians are upset with American teams because they've been winning a lot of Stanley Cups lately, because American teams can afford a bigger payroll. Courtney: That's one good example. Now, on the topic of this payroll-people who play hockey in the highest league possible, as well as other sports, such as basketball, baseball, football-they are paid millions of dollars. I mean, every player is paid at least one million dollars, am I not correct, or-
Michael: Pretty much. There's a few exceptions, but pretty much. Courtney: So they go into a season as sports players, playing with the knowledge that they are going to make at least one million dollars. Now, that is a lot of money. What do you think about this? There has been lots of controversy about this, that sports players are paid so much money. What do you think about this on a personal-with your own personal perspective? Is it a good thing that these players are paid so much money, or do you think it's too much? Michael: I think it's pretty easy, as a fan, to make the relationship between players' salaries and ticket prices. I think with players making so much money, it raises the ticket prices and becomes very difficult for the average fan to afford to be able to go to a game.
Courtney: Mm-hmm. So that's one negative side about it. Do you think it's justified that these athletes-who, of course, are very good-make this kind of money? Michael: Well, the state of the entertainment world would have you believe that yes, these top stars do deserve their money. But at the same time, I don't think any of our top entertainment stars deserve to be making all the money that they're making, be it a movie star, music stars, or our favorite sports figures. Courtney: Right. Seems that's just the way the industry works.
