That's enough sportsing for now

Pass completion in the dessert section
London, ON
February 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

So the giant #SuperBowl sportsing orgy is over for another year, and all the folks who jumped on the bandwagon for a few hours have safely jumped back off it and tucked their pristine pairs of Nikes back into the front hall cupboard. They'll reappear in July when the Olympics kick off in Tokyo.

You may have guessed I'm not the world's biggest football fan. Come to think of it, all professional sports seem to rub me the wrong way. I'm a fan, to an extent, but the idealistic vision of child-Carmi who grew up in Montreal and idolized the Expos, the Habs, and the Alouettes disappeared in a puff of cynicism as heroes were traded away, labour disputes erased entire seasons, and teams were systematically gutted before being moved elsewhere.

I'd also rather get out and participate rather that stay in and just passively watch.

So watching the NFL's over-the-top display of faux patriotism was difficult, if only because the league has traditionally been unwilling to address its long-festering dark side. Make that dark sides, plural.

Including OJ Simpson in the tribute-to-history opening montage was, frankly, sickening. This wasn't remotely moving. It was a celebration of everything we don't want our children to become. Wrapping it up in love-of-country, legacy, military, family, and community-esque themes made the disconnect even more cringeworthy.

Yet I so enjoyed watching the game with my fam. We bought tons of snacks, ordered pizza and had a ball taking it in on the big screen. I even managed to sneak in this still-life from the local Loblaws. Within that bubble, or context, a good time was had by all, and I wouldn't trade those few hours for anything else.

But let's not fool ourselves. Football, like most professional sports, is a pretty dark place beneath the overhyped facade. Something to keep in mind as we look for ways to celebrate the best facets of modern life. Sorry, football fans, but the NFL's recipe is long past its best before date.

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