Football in America and the loss of "the event"

I remember being a kid and loving Monday Night Football. Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Frank Gifford were in the broadcast booth and I couldn't wait to see it. If I was lucky, my parents would let me stay up late (10:00 pm) and watch a half or so. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the team and I, of course, loved the underdog (Minnesota Vikings). I would always hope that the Vikings would be on that Monday night game.

The anticipation of one game during the week and two on the weekend was great and limited at the same time. That anticipation made the game an event. There was something about it.

Today, we are inundated with sports. ESPN has made it possible to see every highlight from every game. There are Sunday afternoon games, Sunday night games, Monday night games and now Thursday night games. I can see teams I don't really care about and the games mean nothing. There is not an event to be found. Even the Super Bowl has become more of a spectacle than a game. We could feed a country for the money spent on a 30 second commercial.

This is the world kids are growing up in and to share my fond memories of the anticipation of Monday Night Football must seem absurd to them. They don't have a clue about the waiting for the "big game." It seems a shame from an old Monday Night Football stalwart.

That's enough reminiscing. I have to go and adjust my Fantasy Football roster. I have to see who is matched up against the awful Detroit Lions.