“It is like drinking merlot”
When the closing bell rings on Wall Street, many traders have discovered a new way to wind down after a hectic day: watching Olympic curling. “It is like drinking merlot,” Douglas Kass, the president of Seabreeze Partners, tells the New York Times. Curling has picked up its new fans thanks to CNBC, the business news channel that plays on most trading room floors during the day. In the evening, it switches from its regular programming to coverage of curling at the Vancouver Games. And Wall Street is obsessed. Some curling terms (like kizzle kazzle) have even begun to creep into trading lexicon. A big part of the appeal is the game’s slow pace—it’s easy to watch in the background at work—and the chess-like strategy involved. But will Wall Streeters be picking up brooms and hitting the ice anytime soon? Doubtful. This is more of a temporary diversion. “Let’s face it: if baseball and football were in the winter, nobody would be watching,” says one executive.