A short essay RE: N.F.L. Football

[PCIntern]

For over half a year, nearly every year, Americans are subjected to the vicissitudes of the National Football League, the players, the coaches, the owners, the broadcasters, the vendors, the commercials, the disruptions, the controversies, and all else which surrounds this remarkable enterprise. When they say it is all about the money, they mean it. As Bill Maher stated last week, it is a socialist-oriented business model, since all the teams more or less equally divide the proceeds from the media, and that the worst teams are given the best chance to renew themselves by choosing better players - redistribution of wealth AND punishment for success at work, which is what the right-wing states is the goal of socialism, and of course, the "socialist" President Obama.

But more importantly, the NFL is responsible for the diversion of the masses from what is truly important to them: their jobs, their educations, their family life, their community service, and their striving, so that the focus is shifted to the gladiators on the field. Now, in the past, it used to be excused "Well, it's just Sunday afternoon! Ain't I entitled to a little relaxation?" but now we have Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football (for a portion of the season), Saturday football during Playoffs, and of course, the big enchilada, the Super Bowl, or, as it is called by broadcasters and businesses who have not paid for the right to say the two magic words, "the Big Game" - a euphemism. We ALL know what that means...and interestingly, WHY they refer to it as such. It is a commercial product to which many millions are addicted year-round.

In order to demonstrate, let me take, for example, the Philadelphia Eagles, a team of which I was a fan for over 50 years until Michael Vick, dog-abuser (watch your beagle, Vick's an Eagle), was hired. When Jeffery Lurie bought the team, it was worth a little bit over 250 million dollars. That's a lot of loot, but, hey, of course it is. This is America, right? Well, in less than ten years, the team was valued at over a BILLION DOLLARS, close to a billion and a quarter dollars, in fact. The team makes news 365 days a year and one extra day in leap years. Now you'd think that this team had won multiple Big Games, but in fact, the last championship was 51 years ago and do you know what? So few people went to the game at Franklin Field here in Philly, that it was blacked out and shown that night. What an embarrassment to this town even then!

The Eagles are able to get the fans riled up all year, the fun actually begins AFTER the season is over, and all kinds of controversy occurs. In fact, it's been postulated that the worst thing the team could do would be to actually WIN a Big Game, because then all the fun of losing and gnashing of teeth would be lost. But to my point of this post...

The playing of the game, the two-a-day practices in training camp, the movement of the players, the injuries, the state of the coach's errant family members (gun-totin' drug-sellin' ne'er-do-wells has served to distract folks here from what is going on in the city: ridiculous job market, high crime rate including murders of individuals not involved in drugs or mayhem, the theft of millions of dollars by many individuals in seats of power, bad infrastructure, corrupt everyone and everything. the list goes on and on. It's all about the point-spread, the kicker, the red-zone inadequacies, the SPCA, the condition of the field, and every other goldurn thing you can imagine. No one gives a damn about any of the other stuff:

Until it affects them. But there's no one to listen to the complaints, because...everyone is tuned to the next Eagle development.

Multiply this by 32 teams or so, and by millions of people, and you know what? You've got the populus where you want it: disconnected from reality, unconcerned about the country and the consequences of our actions and those of other governments and powerful individuals, and ravenous for more football. Remember, they played Professional Football on Sunday, November 24, 1963 despite the fact that the President had been killed two days prior. It was just a glimmer of the tone which has been set for today.

Enjoy the Big Game...it's what "it" is all about, here in America.

[Newest Reality]

1. Though it may not be popular ...

I agree with your points about diversions, especially the way things are now.

Yet, entertainment, in its various forms is the current opiate of the masses and they, like those pod-dwellers who populate the Matrix, would sincerely fight to preserve it and not take lightly to sincere questions about the nature of the massive, profitable distractions. Drugged, (licit and illicit) entertained people are important to this civilization as it stands, since the circumstances of corporate occupation create a need for escapism and mind-altering potions for many.

As an anecdote, a friend was watching football and it came to mind that football, amongst other sports, seems to be a tribal re-enactment. Two tribes face-off to hunt the pig, (and footballs where once made of pig skin) and bring it to their village, (the goal) while the women that might make good mating partners cheer and approve of the best hunters. It could be seen as an appeal to basic, hunter-gatherer food and approval needs. ;)

[eleny]

2. I had to look up the meaning of "vicissitude"

I feel smarter now.

I'm not a football fan but I still learned something.

[gratuitous]

11. I looked up "populus"

And discovered that it's spelled with another "o" placed directly before the second "u" (just so you don't think it's spelled "poopulus").

[WilliamPitt]

21. "poopulus"

:rofl:

[madokie]

3. Michael Vick paid his dues

get over it. he's one of the best qbacks out there

[CBGLuthier]

4. and a poor excuse for a human being so who gives a shit what he can do

with a funny shaped ball. I would pay to see said ball shoved up his ass or bounced off his head for an hour but throwing and running with it no thanks.

[madokie]

7. Good for you, now don't watch

some of us like sports and football is one of the sports i happen to enjoy watching. In fact my whole family enjoys it. In fact we plan parties around some games.
so there

I doubt that the real truth about Vick is known by you anyway. :hi:

on edit: something tells me you won't volunteer to do that shoving of the funny shaped ball up his ass like you'd like to see done.

[Missy Vixen]

16. Perhaps you'll share with the class

>I doubt that the real truth about Vick is known by you anyway.<

Why don't you share that "real truth" with all of us?

The truth: Vick is a sociopath. There, I said it. Prove me wrong, especially since he has never had one minute of therapy or counseling for his seemingly overwhelming urge to torture and kill animals. Here's another piece of truth: The dogs in his care will never be "over" his treatment of them.

I'm a NFL fan too, but I will never support Vick. I don't support Roethlisberger, either.

[Shagbark Hickory]

25. Football. Yaaaaaawn. 4-5 hours of commercials and waiting around.

I don't get it.

[truebrit71]

15. Get over it? How very rethuglican of you..not by a long shot has he paid his dues...

...he may have served his time, but hasn't paid SHIT for what he did...

[madokie]

28. Don't be calling me a republicon

you got it

[WilliamPitt]

5. I love football

So did the fellow in my sig pic.

Spare me your broad-brush judgments.

Can't wait for the game.

Am I distracted?

You tell me.

[madokie]

10. Gonzo had family in my area

as a kid he used to visit his cousins here. Just so's you know

[livetohike]

6. Go Steelers! n/t

[madokie]

9. Go Packers :-)

This is a tough one for me cause I like both teams. I really like the way that Rodgers has developed into one fine quarterback. Not so sure I'm spelling his name right if not my apologies for being wrong. :hi:

[livetohike]

33. If the Steelers weren't in there (and I really didn't think they

would make it), I would root for the Packers :-). The head coach is from Pittsburgh.

Should be a great game either way :hi:.

[11 Bravo]

8. Does this mean you won't be hosting a Super Bowl party this year?

FFS, watch it or don't. I am fully capable of enjoying the game while at the same time remaining engaged vis-a-vis what's going around the country and the world.

[kctim]

12. And

spending hours watching football is somehow "different" than spending hours logged in complaining what others do with their time?

[tammywammy]

20. +1 n/t

[Kievan Rus]

32. +2

[Jim__]

13. It's really not and either/or.

People can follow football and stay current about the goings on in the world. Those who watch footabll and ignore the rest of the world, would not be up on current events if only there were no football. They'd just find another distraction.

[Forkboy]

14. I feel the same way about people who liked Avatar.

[WilliamPitt]

17. .

:rofl:

[Blue_Tires]

18. RE: '60 Title Game

You will of course remember that America was still a much bigger baseball/boxing/college football/horse racing country then, so a lot of pro football games didn't sell out -- fwiw, the first two Super Bowls weren't sellouts, either...

[cherokeeprogressive]

19. Fuckin' A Right I'm going to enjoy the big game.

By the way, was your post about the NFL or about the Eagles?

Yada yada blah blah yablah blayada blah blah blah.

[Dappleganger]

22. Please pass the wings.

[walldude]

23. I'll give you a K&R just for the balls it took to air this publicly

I personally hate professional sports. It's a huge joke. Grown fucking men playing little boy games for millions of dollars. But don't dare say that in this country. People get... defensive.

I'd much rather read a book or see a movie or listen to music then watch grown men in tights throw a fucking ball around. Not impressed. I can't wait to see the fans of the winner start burning cars as a "celebration". :rofl:

[RagAss]

24. Blacked Out at Franklin Field.............

Interesting. Few New Yorkers realize that the AFL championship between the Jets and the Raiders at Shea Stadium(the game that gave the Jets the chance to play in Super Bowl III and upset the Colts)was also blacked out in New York and shown at 11:30 pm that evening. The good 'ol days exist only in the mind !

[PCIntern]

26. Yeah yeah yeah to all those who told me whatfor...

I am as big a fan as anyone...I didn't say that anyone here was unable to watch a sport and pay attention to the world, just that millions of Americans can't and won't.

And FFS yourself, you who wrote that...can't you keep it civil?

[stevedeshazer]

27. "I thought you were going to ask me about the pig"

It's really weird to me, PCIntern.

I completely agree with your post. Not that I haven't agreed with you before, of course.

But it's astonishing to me year after year how the incredible spectacle of the Super Bowl has grown, and I'm old enough to remember when it wasn't as big a deal as boxing, horse racing, and even basketball. The NBA Finals in the 60's were a bigger draw, at least on television.

One must also consider in this conversation the legions of crazy college football fans, and March Madness.

Do we deserve such diversion and the associated craziness? If we did not have these primal sporting events (don't forget NASCAR and Rodeo) would we go crazy and overthrow the government?

This is seriously funny and food for thought. Thanks for an interesting post.

[Kievan Rus]

29. It's not an either/or proposition. Unrec

There are people that like sports and yet are well-read and keep abreast of class issues and world political issues; they could accurately tell you who won every Super Bowl, and also accurately name all the Amendments to the Constitution, in order. Conversely, there are people that hate sports and know nothing about football, and at the same time probably couldn't name their Congressperson.

And for those that are a bit too into sports and know nothing about political issues, if it wasn't sports, like other posters have said, they'd completely distract themselves with something else.

That's not to say I think it's ridiculous that public funds are often used to construct stadia for private owners, but that's an issue that goes far beyond sports, such as the "too big to fail" banks getting bailed out.

[Blue-Jay]

30. So... Football is bad?

Yeah, I sort of skimmed the OP.

P.S. It's OK to hate the Eagles.

[Recovered Repug]

31. If I were an Eagles fan

I'd quit watching football, too.


GO PACKERS!!