Classic Rant #438 (February 4, 2011): Super Ho Hum

On Sunday, the world will be treated to another Super Bowl.

Ho hum.

I really am not a football fan. I find it to be the most over-rated of all the sports.

People complain about baseball being all talk and no action, but let's face it, football is worse--much worse. And nothing demonstrates this better than the Super Bowl.

The hype that surrounds this game is enormous. Media outlets from around the world cover this as if if was a religious experience.

Most of what they cover is talk, talk, talk. All hype and not substance.

Advertisers pay big bucks to have their products hawked on this worldwide telecast.

And like I said, to some, this is a religious experience that no church can duplicate.

People are paying minimum $2,500 to watch this game in person in Dallas, and believe it or not, people are paying that amount to secure a spot just outside the stadium to watch the game on TV.

I kid you not.

I heard a doctor talking yesterday on TV saying that there are more heart attacks during the Super Bowl than any other yearly event.

But let's face it, most people who watch this game have absolutely no interest in the game of football itself. There are so many pools surrounding this game that it is truly something if you aren't in one. I, proudly, am not.

People bet, bet, and bet some more to try to win money related to this game.

To me, that makes the game a spectacle, not a sporting event.

But let the media have its way. If they want to call football "America's Game," let them.

It isn't America's pastime though. We all know that is baseball, the best sport around, the only sport that gets coverage 12 month/365 days a year, is truly "America's Game."

Right in the middle of winter, the back page of all the New York papers today has nothing to do with football.

Andy Pettitte of the Yankees is supposedly announcing his retirement today.

Now, that is big news.

The Super Bowl is nothing compared to this announcement.

What will I be doing on Sunday? I won't be watching the Super Bowl, that's for sure.

In fact, during the day--when the televised hype begins on TV at 9 a.m. in the morning--I will be attending a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden.

They are in the heat of the playoff race, and they are playing the team right behind them, the 76ers, in the second game of a back-to-back series.

Now to me, that's real sports, not the hype of the Super Bowl.

And when I get home, I guarantee that the Super Bowl won't be on my viewing list for the evening.

So watch the game, enjoy it as much as you can, but all I know is that ...

Pitchers and catchers report next week to spring training.

Now that is really important!