Comparing Survivor, BB and AR to football, basketball and baseball
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The ClubHouse: Archives: Comparing Survivor, BB and AR to football, basketball and baseball

Lancecrossfire

Tuesday, May 14, 2002 - 08:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ok, now that it’s almost over, I feel like comparing Survivor and the other two reality/game shows to our major professional sports. On the sports side, there is football, basketball and baseball. On the reality side, I’m using Survivor, Amazing Race and Big Brother.

For some similarities between the two groups:
There is more than pocket change to be had in each.

People are hand selected for all of them—sometimes with great results, and sometimes with disaster.

The people involved are thrust into a spot light; sometimes for awhile, and sometimes for just a moment.

How a person performs is there for all to see.

Entertainment is a huge aspect of each.

Participating can change your life.

Ok, now for a look at each reality show compared to a sport. I feel like Survivor goes with football, Amazing Race with basketball, and Bib Brother with baseball. Now for the method to my madness.

Football regular season games number 16. Basketball in the 80’s and baseball in the 160’s. If you make the playoffs in either basketball or baseball, you have the potential to play more games than a football team will in all of regular season. Careers in football seldom last 10 years because of what it does to your body and mind. They frequently end after just 1-3 because of injuries. In basketball, careers can last for 15 years, and there is a heck of a lot more 10 year veterans than in football. Career ending injuries do happen, but not nearly as frequently as in football. Baseball careers go on and on. Players can be 40 years old and going strong—as a pitcher and as a DH. Or a first baseman. Players come right from high school all the time in baseball. In basketball they do once in awhile, and lots come out early from college. In football, you don’t see a high school graduate playing in the NFL—and once in awhile someone will come out of college early—but not very often, and they only miss one year.

BB goes 90 plus days, as baseball has over 160 games. In BB, you are inside of a house, out of the elements. If you were in BB1 you had a chance of losing some food, but also a chance of scoring extra. If you were in BB2, you ate better than most folks in the USA. Your only real concern was how you acted and interacted with others. Not a lot of physical stuff to really test you. Your biggest threat is boredom. (same thing if you are watching a baseball game) Baseball is a sport where most of the time a player is basically standing still during most of the game. The exceptions are the pitcher and catcher. Running is typically 90 feet when running to first base. (maybe a bit more when playing in the outfield) Other than that, you try very hard to avoid colliding in any way with anyone else. You have a glove to help you catch the ball, even though folks in the stands sometimes catch those foul balls bare handed.

Survivor and Amazing Race last about the same length of time—although AR is much faster paced for the entire game—just like basketball is compared to football. But in basketball, it’s a lot of running and not so much trying to take each other’s heads off each play. Basketball a number of years ago started promoting that it is indeed a contact sport. Football is a collision sport. If football players tried playing 2 games in two days, most would be in rehab for the injuries. Basketball and baseball players do it as a matter of course, and have longer careers. Gee, which sport is toughest on the old body!?

In AR, they race like crazy every day, other than their 12 hour rest period. They are given food, given shelter, given a place to go to the bathroom, have a chance for a little extra with the money they are given. They get to fly a lot too—something that isn’t too strenuous while the plane is in the air. The AR folks can focus on the task of getting one place to the next with little concern of how the others act or how they act. Unless they really screw up, it doesn’t have any affect on the game at all. AR is like going up and down the court a bunch of times, trying to win the race to the basket. If you can’t do it on sheer speed, you go into a strategy game not unlike half court ball. You figure out where to go, what turns to make, etc.

In Survivor, you have to deal with the personality aspect 24 hours a day. Sleeping to long or not long enough can hurt you. Doing too many chores or not enough can hurt you. Saying the wrong thing can hurt you. Then there is the physical issues—getting your own water and having to boil it. Either having to collect your own food or having it given to you in rations that test your ability to deal with hunger. How many people on AR or BB ever lost 40 pounds?? Chores to just get by take up part of your day. Sleeping arrangements suck at best, and at worst are so bad you just can’t sleep. No one in BB had to deal with losing their shelter in a flood. Folks in AR see the worst being a big tent. They get fed and have plenty to drink. The challenges in Survivor test all sorts of abilities, but most frequently physical abilities. And it does so when you feel like you’ve been beaten up—no sleep for a day or two, rained on, or no water. Or maybe you got 200 calories for 10 days straight. Lets see the BB and AR folks do their challenges in that situation! Ask any Survivor person if the think it could be dome over a 90 day period and have anyone sane at the end.

In the interviews, people have been talking a bit more about the issues of getting back into the swing of real life after the game is over. For BB, AR and Survivor folks, it is a challenge and takes effort. Just think what it would be like for a Survivor person to try and get back into society if they played the game for 90 days instead of 39. (if they could even function by then to begin with). It would be about as bad of results as having a pro football team try and play 2 days in a row.

Well, that’s it for my thoughts on it. I like AR and BB a lot—actually I find AR to be a great game—a wonderful game. But when it comes to getting punished and potential punishment from every aspect there is, in my book, Survivor is it for the reality shows, and football for sports. For all the things I’ve said giving Richard, Lex and Jerri a bad time, I give them credit for making it through one heck of a game.

Hippyt

Tuesday, May 14, 2002 - 08:35 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Hear those sirens in the background Lance? They're coming to take you to a nice safe place!ROFL,awwkkkk

Seamonkey

Tuesday, May 14, 2002 - 10:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
You need some sleep, Lance! Maybe next week?

Car54

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 - 01:08 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Interesting post, Lance, but I guess I think with Sports, the intent is more go into the game or the season... hone your physical and mental skills, and show what you can do with others at the same level of ability.
The competition happens for a couple of hours every few days, and you get paid whether you win or lose.
You usually get to eat and sleep whether you are playing well or not, whether you win or lose.

With our shows, your physical skills can help you, but the game is 24/7, you have no real control - in a basketball game Jeff Probst does not show up after a few games and say... "no wait, we are changing the rules".
You are at the mercy of outside forces...nature, the producers, the airlines, and the game is much more mental than physical.
You win or lose..but you get very little if you are a loser.

I need some sleep too, Lance.
But I get your point.

Fanny

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 - 10:13 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Lance, sweetheart, you do need to get a life! However, I'm with you on several of the points you make--especially your matchups; S/football, AR/basketball & BB/baseball. I'm not especially into hoops or baseball but I'm a Broncos season ticket holder & in fact watched them win their superbowls IN PERSON so one might think I'm a football fanatic (and one wouldn't be wrong). Maybe that's why of the three shows, Survivor remains the best of the best, for me. Sports are for teams (images of John Elway holding the Lombardi trophy above his head notwithstanding) while of course the game is individually-based.

Interesting comparisons!

Grooch

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 - 01:33 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I think TAR is more like Nascar than basketball.

First, Nascar is a race to the finish line just like in TAR they are racing to the finish line.

Both have pitstops.

In Nascar, the driver has to keep track of his fuel and his tire wear. Just like in TAR they have to keep track of how they spend their money.

On Tar, they have cameras on them at all times and we get to see their comments. In Nascar, they have the cameras in thecar to pick up whatever they are saying.

I'msure there are many more similarities, but I need to leave work now.

Ark

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 - 02:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
DH thinks all reality shows are stupid. I have tried repeatedly to get him to see the similarities between football and Survivor but he just won't have any of it. I think you're right on target with Survivor but I have to agree that AR is more like NASCAR.

Car54

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 - 02:39 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well he is just wrong about that isn't he?pic

Ark

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 - 07:38 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Yes Car he is, but he is always wrong and I am always right. He just doesn't know it.