Green Daily

As many Americans attempt to buck the stereotype of being fat, wasteful, and unhealthy, America's favorite pastime is striving to achieve new heights in the field of excess and binge-eating. Over the last year, America's professional sports organizations have seen a surge in attendance and ticket sales with a brilliant new marketing concept: all you can eat seating. What a great idea, right?

With all you can eat seating, fans no longer have to stand in line to gorge themselves full of hotdogs, nachos, and peanuts -- in fact, they don't even have to stand up at all. In the all you can eat section of your local ballpark, the food comes to you. We know that stadium food isn't exactly eco-friendly, so we have to assume that allowing people to eat limitless quantities of factory-farmed pork and beef is not sending a very green message -- or a healthy one at that.

After sitting in the new sections, one fan told USA Today that these seats are "the worst American culture can offer," concluding that the section "was a gluttonous orgy of stupidity," -- and he may be right. Christine Gerbstadt, an official from the American Dietetic Association had similar feelings, condemning the idea "disgusting." Asking, "Why can't people just enjoy the game and eat sensibly?"

As much heat as some of the organizations are taking, you can't deny how obnoxious it is to have to miss sports history in the making while you stand in 30 minute line to buy a $7 hotdog. So, I definitely applaud the idea for it's convenience. Not to mention, offering someone 'all they can eat' is a far cry from forcing them to participate in a "gluttonous orgy" of eating, as he so eloquently put it. What's truly missing at sports stadiums is a Las Vegas style all you can drink section -- with eco-friendly beers and mixed drinks, of course.