Sunday’s Super Bowl was the most watched program—and I use the term “program” loosely—the most watched program in the history of television. I saw this on the Huffington Post and immediately posted it to my Facebook page. Not many people commented, but one friend wrote “and the dumbing down continues.” I “liked” that. You know, liked, thumbs up on Facebook. Most watched in history. Why? What was it? Now maybe it’s because I have become an ex-football fan. Maybe because I’ve evolved from one who knew all the players on the San Francisco 49ers team during their glory years in the 1980s. Watched religiously every Sunday. Don’t get me started about them leaving San Francisco, abandoning their loyal fans for their fancy-ass stadium, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Serves them right for having a lousy season. They’re dead to me. If you sat me down in front of a televised game, I could tell you about a first down, onside kick, two point conversion, and so on with the best of them. My ex-husband taught me well.

But I was always a baseball kind of gal. Go Giants! But something changed. After 9/11 I began to see the militaristic side of the sport and it gave me the willies. It didn’t seem fun anymore. Then nothing seemed fun on the field. The hard hits, the concussions, the violence against women. The NFL is something like 70% African American, serving at the pleasure of the owners, the very rich white owners. That makes me feel kind of yucky. “You know a lot about football,” more than one man has said to me as a compliment, I suppose. I also know it is more popular than ever. And the NFL, making billions of dollars each year, is technically considered to be a non-profit. What is wrong with this picture? What is wrong with us? What bill of goods are being sold to enjoy a sport that is brutal and frankly more fitting in ancient Rome?

What is wrong that this is considered to be entertainment?