Complex Numbers

Why Should I Care?

Much discussion today has been given over to the Giants' victory over the Patriots yesterday.

I'd hardly even know about it if I hadn't made the mistake of hitting the grocery store around 6 pm, and had the honor of standing in line behind swaying men and sweaty women with carts full of beer and chee-tos.

I know some people claimed not to care about the game, and only watch it for the commercials. Me, I say: Commercials are the reason I don't watch television, so there's yet another reason not to watch the superbowl.

The other thing about the superbowl is that it started the year I was born, so I always know exactly how old I'm going to be mere days after the event - as if I need another reminder. Hell, Star Trek started that year, too, and it's not around much anymore.

What gets me is just how much this matters, and I just don't understand why. I used to watch football, back in the late 70s / early 80s. Like listening to country music, it was a phase I went through. I stopped around the time the Giants broke Redskins QB Joe Theisman's leg in several places. I'm sure a lot of people watch just hoping for another spectacular injury like that one. And I admit, having the underdog team come from behind at the last moment can be pretty exciting - I saw it happen to my college football team a couple of times (and saw them get hosed by it even more).

But I got to where I Just Didn't Care. How, I wondered, did UVA having a winning (or losing) team have anything to do with its worth as a school? Why should I do anything to support the Redskins?

And they report this crap like it's news, like it matters. Same as with Britney Spears' latest shenanigans (I still say the government has her on the payroll as Official Distraction). It's entertainment. It's not news. It's circuses, and chee-tos are the 'bread.'

But I'm open-minded about most things. I'm willing to admit that maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's something I'm missing; after all, it seems like every other American was glued to the TV screen yesterday. Maybe it should matter to me. So tell me, honestly: Why should I care?