My brief and inauspicious career in organized sport

When I was 9, my parents enrolled me in judo classes. I suppose it was a way to extract me from my shell (I was painfully shy and was having a difficult time making friends after a move). And I did enjoy it. After a few months, I went to my first tournament. My coach pulled me aside and asked me to throw my one and only match. Being an obedient child, I did. I didn't go back to judo after that.

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I was...

Feb 26, 2021 at 1:20pm

...a very large child, and it always struck me as odd that I wasn't allowed to fight with the other kids, not because I would lose but because they would lose.

There was never any attention paid to teaching them not to harass me, I was always the one who went to the principal's office if some challenged person tried to attack me.

Our society works by coordinating to get the best of us to "throw the match" so that they can compete. Otherwise we'd win everything. They only win becuse we let them.

12 8Rating: +4

@I was...

Feb 26, 2021 at 2:49pm

I literally had a school principal tell me that they were doing this to me because it was "impossible" for them to train the other children. They could train me, because I was tall and neurologically normal.

Such is life for the minority of us who are tall, handsome and intelligent. We have to restrain ourselves because if we don't, we get attacked.

7 7Rating: 0

Weird

Feb 26, 2021 at 3:29pm

Can you explain why a coach would have a child throw a match? Was it, so one kid could fight another kid and raise in ranks?

Fun fact: Sumo wrestling is pretty corrupt, but it's not what you think, yes there are matches being fixed to make money in gambling, but also because if one Sumo stable because financially unstable another stable will throw the match, so they can make some money to support their stable. Very Japanese.

10 6Rating: +4

@Weird

Feb 26, 2021 at 5:12pm

OP here. The local cable station was there broadcasting (or at least filming for later broadcast) the event and my opponent was female (I am male as were the vast majority of the participants). My assumption is that the coaches saw this as an opportunity to show that under-represented peoples could be accepted and excel in this sport.

6 5Rating: +1

What we know now

Feb 26, 2021 at 5:36pm

Too bad you didn't know enough then to demand a percentage of whatever he was getting out of it for that loss.

4 3Rating: +1

This

Feb 26, 2021 at 5:40pm

aint your fight kid.

3 2Rating: +1

@Weird

Feb 26, 2021 at 5:43pm

Everyone is someone's cousin.

When you realize that everyone schemes for their family's interests except "nice people" it's a very hard lesson.

I didn't realize until someone told me that most people's parents taught them to lie if it was in their interest. My mom is a nice lady who taught me to be honest.

It has its benefits if everyone is honest, but if everyone isn't honest, it just means we're easy to abuse.

Canada stopped caring about honesty around the mid 1970s. Since then it has been "social justice." Honestly, social justice does not exist.

6 4Rating: +2

That was...

Feb 27, 2021 at 5:23pm

The day you found out how shitting humans are. Sorry, most of us find out sooner or later, some lucky ones don't.

4 3Rating: +1

@I was

Feb 28, 2021 at 7:58am

That’s your perspective. I think society wants the opposite. The less fortunate and skilled in society- and being able to make good choices is a skill - fail if not supported. Those who support are being counted on not to fail, but to do well. And to then share.

I have done well, my job was in public service and my private investments have left us comfortable. I was in a position to share and that includes being taxed so that at least most people have services. I was a net giver.

I’m retiring soon and will become a taker, as we all will if we have the fortune to live through extended sickness. And in the meantime, I use the roads, am protected by the justice system etc ...it’s a complex system, no one is independent.

3 3Rating: 0

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