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Hello, Superbowl Sunday.

scream

Ok, I'm over it. I never realized how much sports affected (afflicted?) people in our area. I'm not that much into sports myself-- at least not the kind you play on a field with specialized equipment. My idea of a tough game is sweating my way through a Duel in 'Forbidden Memories' or 'Duelist of the Roses'.

There was a huge (as in whale-sized huge, not just your average human-sized huge) crowd at the store today. Constant stream of people, most buying megatons of groceries. Predominant item? Outdoor cookout things and liquor of various flavors and quantities. Oh, and snacks. Lots of snacks. Strangely enough, a lot of fruit and yogurt too. Is this in preparation for tomorrow morning when an appreciable percentage of the local populace are going to be worshiping the porcelain ghod? Maybe they think smoothies will sit better on an upset stomach.

I don't get it, really. I mean, I fulfiled the American Dream (at least a part of it) in my youth and played baseball. Catcher. Did pretty well, won MVP one year. I don't deny I really enjoyed those days. though probably more for the chance to let my warped sense of humor loose on an unsuspecting batter than the whole team experience. Obviously my TEAMMATES thought I was an okay sort.

But what's the attraction? Why do people spend so much time, effort, et cetera, involve themselves so deeply, in the activities of a group of men who earn way too much money for their own good by running around a field slamming into one another hard enough to potentially kill one of the slammees? Why does it get so personal, when 99.99% of the fan populace will never be directly involved in these guys lives, and vice versa?

Is it because we're looking for heroes, still, and we'll take whatever we can find?

Or is it some kind of gratuitous release of the agression we all bottle up?

Or maybe just a really good selling job by the sports machine?

Or some of all of it. Could be. We all want a way to leave our lives behind every once in a while and live another life, one we think is nicer or cooler or prettier or less stressful. S'pose, after all, the sports fan isn't really that different than me, except mine is a lot less physical and adrenaline based.

Oh, and last time I looked, hordes of online users don't usually stampede at a computer convention and trample one another underfoot.