Like a lot of men, probably, I’ve been criticized on many occasions for watching too much sports on television. And, no, I don’t just watch TV; I read, exercise and spend quality time with my family. But when it comes to the tube, I have no problem justifying a near monopoly - especially considering the alternatives.
I literally almost got sick this weekend because of something I saw on television, and I’m not talking about watching people eat horse anus on an old Fear Factor episode or the capture and tasting of an island rat on Survivor.
It was the beginning of Entertainment Tonight, which I never watch but it happened to start as I was transferring a sleeping child from couch to bedroom, blowing out the candles and otherwise continuing the going-to-bed process. The lead story was about a pregnant guy. A pregnant guy. I paid attention to about seven seconds worth of the details before I honestly felt like I could throw up.
My disgust here is really twofold: 1. I was actually physically disgusted; 2. This is somehow not only newsworthy, but it is lead story material.
Wasn’t Entertainment Tonight once a fairly reputable program, routinely run as a lead-in to the network’s primetime lineup? Like everything else on television these days, ET is obviously way down in the pooper as well.
Garbage like American Idol dominates the ratings, and local news teams are so unoriginal that their rundowns seem to be 90% crime and court coverage. And it’s politics as usual on the national stage: Iraq, the White House, the campaign trail and gas/oil prices.
Sadly, this is the crap that people want. That’s why we keep getting more reality junk, like Dads mindlessly competing against each other in Nickelodeon-type challenges, ”stars” trying out their moves on the dance floor, and adults trying to outwit 5th grade kids on national television. And that’s why websites like TMZ.com have spun off TV shows and why Britney Spears ends up with a guest spot on an otherwise legitimate primetime sitcom.
It’s just as bad online too. I recently found a story about 1980s pop singer Rick Astley becoming an Internet sensation, and MSN actually features an ongoing series about motherhood with former Playboy playmate and completely illegitimate celebrity Jenny McCarthy.
What has our world come to?
*****
So we come full-circle back to sports now. Whether it’s local or national, it’s almost all Kansas all the time. And that’s no good for me. The few people who might regularly read my rants here surely know how I regard the school that’s a mere 30 minutes from my home, the one that looked to my alma mater to find its coach five years ago and is just a few hours from tip-off on college basketball’s biggest stage tonight.
I have a brother who attended Kansas. I have countless friends who went there and proudly wear their allegiance, including the transmission of cell phone text messages stating “Beak ‘Em!” and “Rock Chalk!” after big wins. This cannot happen tonight.
I remember 1988, the year of the so-called Danny and the Miracles. The 6th seeded Jayhawks’ unlikely run through the NCAA Tournament landed them right in Kansas City for the Final Four, and I remember thinking, “Ok, but there’s no way they’ll beat Danny Ferry and Duke.” And they did. I remember thinking, “Ok, but there’s no way they’ll beat Stacey King and Oklahoma.” And they did. It was not a joyous day for a certain 11-year-old resident of suburban Kansas City, and I’m not ready for that kind of celebration 20 years later as a supposedly mature adult.
Maybe I need to admit that the Jayhawks can indeed win. They’re a deeper team with a vastly superior frontcourt than Memphis, and they have several guys who are willing to take and capable of making big shots. Brandon Rush provides the type of long and defensively skilled player that just might be able to put the clamps down on C-USA Player of the Year and All-American wing Chris Douglas-Roberts. Maybe Mario Chalmers can even slow down freshman PG Derrick Rose, who’s playing like a National POY right now.
I just have to hope with all of my heart that it doesn’t happen. If it does, then what will I watch?
2 Comments
April 7, 2008 at 1:39 pm
baseball’s the only good thing left on tele
don’t mind Idol; I ignore the rest
April 9, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I find it quite amusing that ten seconds or so after Bill Self lucked his way (for the most part) into a national title he talked of wanting some “security” for he and his family…at the same time Oklahoma State was paying Sean Sutton millions to leave. I never liked Self and like him even less now. Some people you just look at and think, “I don’t like that guy.” Bill Self is that guy. I wish him well at Okie State. Kansas is better off without him. As for the pregnant guy, I’m just grateful I use protection.
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