The boy is back on TV. The boy that I think is ruining the X Games is back. Not just the winter X Games, but the summer X Games too. The kid is seemingly unbeatable. The kid with flaming red hair and a bandana over his nose and mouth. The kid nicknamed “the Flying Tomato.”
Shaun White is back in my life.
I hate his effortless 900s during his slopestyle runs. I hate the way he throws them back-to-back-to-back. I hate the way he may throw a 1080 in that mix if he feels like it. I hate the way he can dominate the competition in slopestyle, and then compete at a high level the next during halfpipe. I hate the way that he’s won more gold medals than some of the most famous boarders in the world while he’s only 20 years old. I hate the way that he can grab a skateboard and immediately transfer his prowess. I hate the way he skipped past a 900 and started trying to land 1080. I hate the way he almost lands it.
I hate the way he is destroying extreme sports. He’s become too good too young and too soon. He’s on the top of the game and figures to stay there for quite some time. I may have to tell my future children about how good he was and I really don’t want to. To me, he’s just a snot-nosed punk. I really just don’t like the look on his face. What should I like about him? The fact that he’s better than I’ll ever dream of? The fact that he was better than I could ever hope to be by the time he turned 15? The fact that half of the things he does, I can barely do in video games? I have no reason to like Shaun White, so I never will.
Yes, I hate Shaun White.