Brandon Buchmeier’s take: Substitute ‘sports’ have sticking potential

In our current sports desert, we are all seeing mirages. Desperate for water, we are finding things to quench our thirst such as H-O-R-S-E games and video game tournaments and races.

Are these things pathetic attempts at satiating our hunger for competition, to fill the void football, baseball, basketball and hockey have left for us or are some of them legitimate, with “sticking” potential so that we don’t bleed out?

One such tourniquet is marble racing. Viewership for YouTube-based Jelle’s Marble Runs has increased by 339% in recent weeks and gained more than 150,000 subscribers last month.

The professional H-O-R-S-E games might have real potential as they are a genuine display of basketball players’ skills.

Since video game voyeurism has pre-virus momentum, it can certainly be argued that the sports-oriented games do, in fact, have mainstay potential.

Marble racing has an alluring, almost hypnotic quality to it. The smoothness of it certainly is psychologically pleasing. The widespread attention of late is an indicator of firm roots.

“It sucks us into another world, another dimension without war, misery and negativity,” said Jelle’s Marble Run founder Dion Bakker.

Are we drunk and in love right now? Perhaps.

It certainly won’t occupy any time that is normally delegated to baseball and football once those sports return, but it certainly has potential to catch a small fire with some permanent embers.

This is how new things are born.

Necessity is the mother of invention and desperation may be the mother of new interests.

Chhun Sun’s take: Marble racing, other quirky activities likely won’t stick around when sports return

I don’t have a problem with marble racing. I can see the appeal, the excitement of it all. It’s racking up millions of views, thanks to celebrities and sports figures promoting the so-called sport.

I don’t have a problem with these types of games and activities occupying our head space at a time like this. It’s good for us to have something to watch in place of sports. We need to find a way to cheer, boo and be enthralled by competition.

But the question is: Can these quirky, fun activities stay relevant when live-action sports return?

Short answer: I hope so.

At present, we need this. It gives us amusement. It is the next-best thing to life without hockey, basketball, football, soccer and baseball. But when sports return, I think most of us will forget about marble racing. It’ll get lost in our web browser and buried deep within our Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Though it’s likely sports — along with everything else — won’t be the same when the coronavirus pandemic is over, we’ll take whatever we can get.

Sure, why not watch two teams battle in an empty arena?

When sports return, it’ll be a nice reminder that our lives are returning to normal. Marble racing and other quirky activities are simply a distraction for us right now.

For that matter, let’s just enjoy it until it’s time to move on.

Josephine, right, and Sam Howery play a game of H-O-R-S-E basketball in their driveway Jan. 22.

JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE