Sports aren't real

So I'm reading a biography on Ted Williams. It has a great line in there on page 168-169:

"The emotions and achievements of sport are artificial. They are meaningful, as meaningful as can be, becuase man gives them value, says they are important. They are still fantasy, artificial. THe worst defeat, bad as it may feel, is not in the same universe as the news that can be delivered in one sentence in a cancer ward. The greatest athletic accomplishment, no matter what it might be, can do no more than bring a momentary smile to a lot of faces. It changes nothing.

"The athletic hero, while worthy of all the kind words and polished trophies, is an artificial hero. The real hero operates in a real world, usually a common man showing uncommon bravery or reactions in a moment of peril."

I think I need to tape this to the top of my TV and read it every time the Falcons drop a pass, Auburn fumbles the ball and the Braves choke in October.