Yes, I Am

A few days ago, I started writing a post under the title, "Am I a man of hate?" Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that I am. My post, which was scrapped for operational reasons, revolved just how irritating I found the two champions of the Australian Open tennis this year - let's call them Djokapova for short. So much shrieking, so much pre-serve ball bouncing, so little good will engendered.

I mention all of this only by way of introduction. For tonight I have once more discovered the ugly, fiery, hate-filled side of me. I had planned to watch the Superbowl tonight, for a few reasons - it is a spectacle, it is sport, it had a decent story line (one of the teams was undefeated heading into it), and perhaps most of all, I planned on winding down from a stressful day by becoming a zombie in front of the telly, as is the fashion in our society.

SBS screened the Superbowl live this morning, but they were replaying it at 10:30pm. I steadfastly avoided the media during the day so as not to hear the result. Aussie media doesn't give a rats about gridiron, but they're guaranteed to report on the Superbowl, it's just the way it is (Mike and the Mechanics).

I watched a bit of South Park (still paper-cut sharp) and Drawn Together (underrated, by me) and even saw ads promoting the replay during them. Then I turned the telly off, and returned to the Joy Luck Club, which I am reading as part of PBC committments. My TV and internet-warped attention span and inability to delay gratification saw me turn the telly on to check the news headlines on SBS. In the news today: carnage, carnage, carnage and Giants win.

What the?! They're about to show the game, which probably 95% of their viewers won't have seen yet owing to the fact that they don't, and will never in their life, watch SBS on a Monday morning at 10am, and they announce the result! No warning, no suggestion to look away or leave the room. Nothing. Just a few words, a picture, and in case you weren't sure, GIANTS WIN in caps. This never would have happened on Channel 10. Sports Tonight would have been all over this.

I make three obervations. Firstly, I hate myself for turning the telly on unnecessarily. Secondly, this hate is quickly and satisfyingly shifted to SBS, the most stupid and inept of sports broadcasters I have ever had the misfortune of viewing. Thirdly, I am ashamed at myself for my non-zero care factor in all of this.

Is this what my life has come to? Emotional slavery to professional sports? I need help. *help you* *help me*.