By Andrew Krumme
The Super Bowl this year doesn’t feature the same intriguing stories as in past years. Last February’s contest involved a variety of interesting story lines, including a potential Patriots dynasty, the Eagles shaking the monkey of the NFC Championship off their back and of course, Terrell Owens. (I’m sorry I mentioned his name. We’ve been blessed that we haven’t had to see his antics in a couple months.)
Honestly, I hate the Super Bowl, but I’ll watch it anyway like most ignorant Americans. On one hand this year, you have the Steelers who with five weeks left in the season were not even going to make the playoffs, and if it were not for a cheap shot on Carson Palmer, they would not be here at all. (Yes, I am a Bengals fan – yet another reason why I hate the Super Bowl, considering I have been in football purgatory for the past 15 years.) And you have the Seahawks who I’m assured 95 percent of the general public knows little to nothing about. Yet you’re still going to watch the game.
What really makes me mad about the Super Bowl and every other major professional sporting event are the sob stories and corruption that come with the package. It’s not about the game anymore – it’s about getting people to pour money into it. Some kid grew up in the hood, another guy is a recovering cokehead and this other player got cut from his high school team. Who cares?
They all make millions of dollars now, but they still dwell on the past. Shut up and play. It’s no longer about the game. It is all about the stories swirling around the game. The stories this year will probably center around that slob Jerome Bettis’ “Miraculous Journey” in his last year, dragging his overweight self all over the field and hoping to come out on top.
I bet you all think I am a bad person, don’t you? I’m really just bitter. I have nothing against Jerome Bettis. I just look at sports, and I see something that should be pure. Sports keeps so many people going in life. It definitely is the only thing that gives me the motivation to get up in the morning, other than a can of Skoal straight.
Sports are corrupt, and the Super Bowl is a prime example. It is all about the money now. How much can FOX charge for a 30-second commercial spot, and how much of a bonus will the players get?
It is not just the Super Bowl, either. The reason we don’t have a playoff in college football is money. The NCAA big wigs and college presidents could care less what we want as fans. All they care about is that $10 million-plus payout their school gets if they make it to a BCS game. Whatever happened to playing for the thrill of the game? A game-winning catch or last-second field goal is possibly the only time where the game is pure, and I live for those moments. Hopefully we will have one this Sunday. Either way, you and I will be watching.
