Debbie and I watched the incredibly tear-jerking movie “We are Marshall” tonight. While it was all very moving and inspiring and “a why don’t I remember ever hearing about this” kind of moment, what struck me the most was the juxtaposition between the college football depicted circa 1970 and the college football that was on tv today.
What was on TV today? Well, the Old Oaken Bucket game was not on TV, not unless you paid for it on the Big Ten Channel. It wasn’t on streaming radio on the Internet either. Every station that carried it had a disclaimer on their website saying their contract with the Big Ten didn’t allow them to stream it. I eventually found a clock radio upstairs that would pick up the local AM station, just in time to hear the Mighty Boilers go down in ignominious defeat in overtime to the Hapless Hoosiers (oops, Debbie just pointed out to me that they’re the ‘Hurrying’ not ‘Hapless’ Hoosiers. Really? Another thing I never knew).
On our Amish TV we could watch the University of Nike battle Reebok State in a fierce standoff to determine who would get the invite to a bowl formerly played on New Year’s Day to determine this year’s biggest winner in the BCS football lottery.
Every player, every coach, every stadium was branded with one corporate logo or another. Games are scheduled and bowls are played to maximize revenue.
On the other hand, in “We are Marshall” there were no logos in evidence, just the team names.
I’ve been reading Wendell Berry lately, and I’ve been struck with his thought. He writes about the insanity of an economy based on competition, and the humanity of an economy based on cooperation. He says, speaking of what passes for economic development today that it is, “… the result of a political brain disease that causes people in power to think that anything that makes more money or “creates jobs” is good.” You can say exactly the same about the brains running big college sports today.
Which brings me finally to my point. Zumbrun.net is brought to you today, and always, without ads or any sort of commercials. That’s not accidental, although no advertisers are knocking on my electronic door desiring to place their ads here and waving vast amounts of cash in my face. My highly principled stand comes at no cost to me. Check back later, when I have millions of readers hanging on my every typed word, and see how my disdain of commercialism is standing up.
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