Bueller? Bueller?

Remember the scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off where Ed Rooney asks "What's the score?" as a Chicago Cubs game blares in the background?

That shabby cook in the diner responds, "Nothin nothin."

To which Rooney ignorantly inquires, "Who's winning?"

The guy's next line, delievered with a straight face, became a classic. "The Bears!"

Most people watch the scoreboard, but it occurred to me recently that there's a whole other side to sports; those who attend, participate in, cheer for and even gamble on them with no real interest. They're the ones who make up the numbers, or in some cases, take those 100-Level seats you were hoping for.

This isn’t necessarily bad, but it does say something interesting about sports; many enjoy elements outside of the game. I know, I know, there should be a written test before entering the stadium.

But think about it. We all know guys who love anything offering beautiful women dancing: clubs, bars, the American Pie movies, and big surprise, football. It'd be safe to assume that the NFL draws many of its crowd members, due to the sideline entertainment. I mean the Dallas Cowboys have lived by that promotional ploy for decades—heck, they invented it.

The NBA isn't far behind. Lakerland anyone? Oh sure, I go to watch Kobe as well.

I began thinking about this issue when a female friend remarked that she loved watching the Argentineans during the World Cup. Was it their splendid teamwork that took her fancy I wondered? Not quite. I similarly witnessed great female approval for the Italian team during the Cup final, as I sat quietly watching the game at my local bar. Apparently the actual game wasn't intriguing enough a contest for some.

Perhaps the strangest observation we can make about all this, is that the slowest game in sports, baseball, offers little extra-curricular activity for fans; no cheerleaders, no mascots leaping through flaming hoops and certainly less celebrity spotting.

I think this speaks volumes for baseball fans. They know the score, and that’s all that matters.