Writer's Block: Superbowl madness or sadness?

[altivo]

If you're in the U.S., will you watch all or part of the Superbowl? Do you have a favorite team? If you're not American, what do you think about Superbowl Sunday?

In a non-word: phbltltltlt! One of the dumber manifestations of mob mentality in my opinion.

When the game was in mid-afternoon, we used to enjoy going out shopping in the otherwise empty stores, or pick a restaurant that didn't have television monitors in it and enjoy a long, quiet meal.

The idea of "professional" sports of any type has always seemed idiotic to me. The single mindedness with which some people become involved in merely watching them is, well, absurd to say the least.

In the case of football in the US, though, the disease goes deeper still. One is judged as more than just peculiar for not liking it. In many circles, it's considered not only proof that a male is gay, but moreover that he must be communist, traitor, and atheist all rolled into one. Suggesting there is more to the world than professional football is equivalent to defiling a temple. And frankly, I say that temple is built around the biggest golden calf ever created.

Comments

[feathertail]

It's not a calf, it's a pigskin. ~.^

I think there's nothing wrong with sports in and of themselves. I'm just a little dismayed that they're so important that my mate rev_yurodivy's passion, playing musical instruments in the band, was considered the "red-headed stepchild" of school programs and received little funding. Some of the stories she told were just sad.

[altivo]

Yes, that's one of the problems that comes from this situation where professional sports are turned into some sort of fanatic religious idol. It's especially bad in some socioeconomic and ethnic groups where success in professional sports comes to be viewed as the only way out of the ghetto or barrio. Logically we know that no matter how good an individual might be at sports his or her chances of making it as a pro are one in millions. Worse, since that level of ability is rare, all the rest who may well have excellent abilities in some other field are left feeling worthless and without hope.

Music and art are always cut in schools long before the competitive sports, as you point out, and this is one of the symptoms of the disease.