As attention spans shorten, more stimulation will be demanded. After all, the modern history of sports, only about 100 years old, is in its infancy. And technology's impact on our games so far is but a blink of an eye. None of us is going to be around to know if our long-range view is a slam dunk or an air ball. Forty years ago, American households were told to anticipate the picture phone.
Some promises never arrive.
We understand, though, that human nature changes more slowly than technology. That's too bad, seeing as how today's SportsWorld has been conditioned to shrug off drug scandals, sex offenders, on-field clownishness and the gross overpayment of athletes. Strangely, what we find slightly suspicious is a talented college basketball player staying in school four full years. As for Hampton Roads, where the future of sports is never now, the millennium may bring hope. The bonanza does not appear to be sustainable.