>On Fri, 16 Feb 1996, Ron Correia wrote:
>
>> Actually, what's important is what reads on the scoreboard when the game
>> ends.  Nothing else matters.
>
>I have to disagree with this.  Although obviously I have more than a
>passing interest in whether certain teams win or lose I enjoy watching
>hockey because of the skills the players display, both individually and
>collectively.  If a contest in which the score was kept was the only
>criterion it would make no difference what sport one watched.  I have not
>seen a college football game since sometime in the 60's for a variety
>of reasons, but a major one is that the techniques and skills displayed
>in that sport do not engage my interest even though they care equally
>about whether they win or lose.
 
While not disputing the relative merits of football and hockey, I think
that both posts are correct.  Hockey is a better game because of the
techniques used.  But I think Ron's point is that the determining factor in
which of two hockey teams is better is not a matter of subjective
aesthetics but the wholly practical point of which of them wins the game.
One team may be more pleasing to watch, but they're not the better team if
they lose the game.  (Okay, it is possible for a team to play better and
still lose, but over the course of a whole season, these things will
hopefully even out.)
 
J. Michael Jackson
 
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