I confess, I missed the Super Bowl. Ever since they started when I was in high school, I’ve made it a specific point to miss them–although I did watch ten minutes or so in the hotel lounge in Milwaukee. Then I finished my drink and left.
I missed the game. I missed the inane jabbering sports commentary. I missed the commercials. I missed the thirty seconds of dead air. I even missed the halftime show; I used to love halftime because of the marching bands, but now all you get is inane jabbering some washed up jock telling you disjointed, unimportant, useless banter to fill time between commercials. I read once, that the Super Bowl halftime extravaganza was created because the expectation was that more often than not, the teams would be mismatched and they needed something to keep people watching so they’d see the commercials. Maybe if the had an actuary predicting how much a player’s life would shortened due to each plays contribution to his cumulative traumatic brain encephalopathy, I might watch occasionally, but most likely, I’ll finish my life sans Super Bowl.
On the other hand, I have been following Elon Musk’s launch of the Falcon Heavy Rocket. I love his comment that launching his automobile to Mars appealed to him because of its absurdity.
First, it’s a convertible (and red, naturally). Second it has a mannequin in a space suit in the driver’s seat. Third, it’s playing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity; too bad with no atmosphere no one can hear it, but it’s the thought that counts. Fourth, the GPS/Navigation screed displays “Don’t Panic,” the cover of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
And, best of all, it demonstrates that a proper capitalist can produce a better solution than the government that benefits society (Corporate Officers Greedy Fat Cats at Wells Fargo, General Electric, any and all of the big investment firms who got bailed out at taxpayer expense–and then gave themselves big bonuses–because they could–take note. This is the kind of guy whose going to eat your lunch without you even noticing.
Go Elon, go!
sfnowak 
Amen, Steve. I have managed to live my life (somehow) wtihout ever seeing a Superbowl. However, somehow, I think I’ll live. As to your comment on Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy, I heard an interview on NPR the other day (another talk show attempting to show the social relevance of the superbowl, small letter intended), where three of the six callers related that they would NOT watch because of the increasing reports of CTE. One man said he lived in fear that his son, approaching teenage years, would want to play. Maybe there is a glimmer of hope after all.
And, as to the rocket, I saw the “Don’t Panic” also. Douglas Adams, wherever you are, hope you can raise a glass to that!
Keep up the good work, Steve.
Joe