Synth-playing otters are sports
Again, kind of difficult to see where the disagreement would be on this one.
We talk about this a lot. When a llama pronks with goofy pride across a pasture or a Corgi twerks enthusiastically, we talk about this. When the Smithsonian National Zoo gives a bunch of Asian short-clawed otters the chance to get their respective Philip Glass-es on, we talk about it again. We do not need to talk about why animals doing good things is sports, maybe, but we do it all the same. We do it because there are some who remain unconvinced.
We know what those non-believers will say about this. Oh, “These are just otters mushing their ridiculous little hands onto a synthesizer, not athletes bringing every aspect of their being to bear on a game with rules” or, “What I just said a second ago should suffice, honestly, as there is clearly no sports-y aspect to this.” This is a small argument, and reflects a small understanding of sports.
If your definition of sports is They Chase The Ball Around or [Regional Rival] Sucks, then you are missing out on the better part of what’s best about watching sports. If sports are just games played by buff strangers, then they will only offer us what that sort of thing can give. But if we see them as a place to put our willingness to be awed and amused -- to see and feel things suddenly and unexpectedly, outside of our normal rhythms and ranges of experience -- then we can get that greater thing, instead. One deal seems clearly better than the other.
Also obviously this is sports because the otter-synth is on an organ setting, and organs and baseball stadiums and so on. Again, not complicated. Please enjoy your sports.
