Today is the SuperBowl.
I am a sports fan. I watch football and the NFL while folding my families laundry. It’s my Sunday ritual and it’s why it takes me all day to fold my families laundry.
At the beginning of every football season I draft a fantasy football team. By week three or four, the weakness in my drafting strategy is exposed, and my team becomes the weekly fodder for those in the league who actually know what they are doing.
There is a thought that crosses my mind during the kick-off of each season. Before we know it, it will be week 17 and the analysts will be making their SuperBowl predictions. It is how fall and winter months melt away.
But, it is not lost on me that gladiator games have been a distraction of the masses since the Roman Colosseum.
So much energy is poured into the gladiator gridiron. Billions of dollars and hours of attention are drawn away from the wicked social, environmental and economic problems we face, to ponder the “important” questions like whether Tom Brady is a G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) or what another SuperBowl will mean for his legacy.
This morning the prognosticators will begin to breakdown every aspect of the game. For hours they will pick it apart, from opening kick-off to the lifting of the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Yes, admittedly I am also distracted. And, I am becoming more aware of the cost of that distraction to our society.
I don’t have a solution for this today. I just thought I would acknowledge my dilemma. If I stop watching football what will I do while folding my families laundry? I guess I will find out next Sunday.
Great blog post! I love the gladiator analogy. Of course, sports, recreation, and fun are incredibly important to a balanced life. I hope to also cheer for some hometown teams in person when we can.
Thank you Robin. I will always be a sports fan but it is good to be reminded of context and boundaries!