What People Will Steal – a day at the Boston Sports Club in Central Square

First, let me say that this post is in no way critical of the Boston Sports Club (BSC) in Central Square. Despite the fact that the place is too dark – of course, being in a basement space doesn’t help – I’ve grown fond of this gym for one reason: the steam room.

Probably the nicest and brightest BSC is at Davis Square, but there is no steam room there.

For any of you who have never been to a steam room, I don’t think there are many things in the world that can relieve stress in a better manner. I don’t smoke pot or do any other drugs, but if I did, the steam room would be the perfect place. It’s probably the reasons why Native American Indians used peyote while hanging out in their sweat lodges.

So, today, I finished my workout, took off my workout clothes, dropped them on the floor and took off for the steam room followed by a shower. When I returned, I was stunned to find that someone had taken my shorts and left the rest of my workout gear.

Normally, this wouldn’t be anything I would write about because theft at gyms has been going on for a while. But what makes it kind of shocking is that near the place I dropped my shorts were a pair of $150 Nike basketball shoes that looked almost brand new, yet someone left those and took my shorts?

What makes the theft even more strange is that they weren’t even expensive shorts. They weren’t made by Nike or Under Armour. City Sports used to sell them about 7 years ago (yes, that’s how long I’ve had them), and they are 100% cotton. AND they’ve been patched a few times and have streaks of white paint on them, because those shorts double as my painting shorts.

Basically, those shorts have no value other than kind of being like a worn-out security blanket that people tend to keep for decades.

Other than the fact that they are 100% cotton (I keep hoping that manufacturers will realize that no synthetic fiber will ever feel as comfortable as cotton), I can’t think of a reason why anyone would want those shorts.

Maybe the economy is far worse than I think.