$$+ Hype and Hope

Well, a first in the Maurer household…I watched 80% of the Super Bowl. I’ve never been enough of a football fan to actually sit down and watch an entire game unless it is played by high school boys or a certain college team that wears crimson and cream. All those other guys are over-paid prima donnas and most have very questionable private lives. Just not a fan. But the fact that my granddaughter goes to the same school that graduated the newest sensation- that young man with the strange name and strong arm- made the game a little more appealing. The media has been so interested in his home town and school that my granddaughter has had a difficult time just attending class. And everyone from the local t-shirt shop to the bakery has promoted the number seven.  

Of course the excitement of one little town is nothing compared to the hoopla that went on across the rest of the nation this week. And yesterday the television channels were buzzing with reports on the players, home towns, families, coaches, teams, commercials, concussions, food, alcohol consumption, and the remodeled stadium.  

I kept thinking “Why can’t we get this excited about something that really matters?” I know, throw stones if you want, but seriously, we spend far too much money, time, and effort on sports. Now we have all these reports about athletes who can’t remember where their car is parked because of head injuries. And many of them keep playing anyway- because of money, prestige, pride.

Speaking of money, I didn’t see every commercial because I had to do the dishes and a few other nightly chores, but only a couple that I saw were worth $3-4 million. Some companies definitely wasted their money. There were two that were just stupid! One left me thinking “They paid for that?” I’ve honestly seen some local commercials that were better, and our local commercials are typically awful.

No, I didn’t watch the halftime show. I walked out of the room and worked at the computer until she was finished, lest I raise my blood pressure by being disgusted and offended.

Lights out? Poor mayor. Poor players. Poor fans. The most perfect plans can change in an instant. Money and prestige mean very little in the dark. Even if you pay more for your ticket than many people spend on groceries for a year you can’t always get what you want.

I won’t comment on the game. So many throws, so little…anyway.

The game is over. The players have gone home. And millions of people have spent millions of dollars for a thrill that is now history.

But I’m glad I watched. The next time someone tells me we don’t have enough money for education, healthcare, feeding the homeless, or caring for the elderly I plan to remind them of the Super Bowl and laugh in their face. 

Comments

[Victoria]

Yes! We have money for sports...but not education. Our priorities are skewed.

[Megan]

Woo hoo! Love this soapbox. I didn't watch a second of the superbowl. I could say it's because I'm morally superior to people, but I don't subscribe to 99% of people's ideas of what constitutes entertainment to begin with. So often I feel like a movie/t.v./radio just inflicted something on me that I may never remove or I just wasted 30 minutes of my life that I'm not getting back.

I wish there was more enthusiasm for education. And more funding.