Critical thinkers not influenced by Facebook or TV ads

I was looking for something other than NFL football to watch and listen to on Sundays and as usual, stumbled upon something that fit the bill perfectly.

One of my issues with NFL football on television is the empty stadiums and faux fan noise that is piped in. I think if gambling is taking the place of revenue that packed stadiums bring, then the NFL could make it work with empty stadiums indefinitely.

More people gamble on football than baseball or basketball I believe. Maybe combined, too. As far as other professional sports are concerned, the NHL is an afterthought as it is best to enjoy in person rather than on TV. Same thing for soccer.

Now that this digression has run its course, let’s get back to my opening here which is my disenfranchisement with NFL football on television. Perhaps disenfranchisement is too strong a word, but whatever you want to call it, the fact we are in the fourth quarter of the political season makes watching pro football on television a chore, if not an entirely miserable experience, as you cannot fast forward through commercials when watching.

Aside from being this site’s resident Captain Obvious, I also try to provide added value in the form of perspective.

Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or habitually apolitical, politics never cease to amaze me in terms of humanity reaching new lows in the time leading up to election day–whether reflected on Facebook feeds or television screens.

You cannot escape with the NFL because they do not discriminate regarding who can advertise during games; if you have the funds, then you can put up your cheesy commercials that are made even cheesier by the “I’m Bob Skelley and I approved this message” endings to them.

I needed a flight to peace of sorts before I began this missive as the usual NFL escape was no escape at all. I was watching the Ravens clobber the Bengals and enduring the political mini-infomercials that pretend to offer actual reasons to vote for the politicians whose campaign managers actually designed them for.

What I ended up opting for was music.

I looked at the available TV music channels I was paying for. I scrolled down past many genres until I landed upon New Age.

My dogs immediately fell asleep less than 90 seconds into the first tune. I ended up having all I could do to stave off unconsciousness myself.

This accident of sorts began paying dividends soon thereafter. I was up and railing against what substitutes as NFL football during a pandemic in no time at all.

What televisions need are ad blockers like certain web browsers have. But the NFL powers that be live off of advertising revenue in the age of empty stadiums and supplement by exploiting a limited gambling base of every disposable dime they possess.

While I try to keep a pleasant and neutral, if not positive tone with most of my posts, sometimes it takes an external influence like new age music to overcome the political commercials as well as the ones advertising the return of certain network shows.

In an ill-advised plea to all pandemic sufferers, “We won’t break” was a theme that was heralded as the commercial reflecting the return of certain dramas and comedies to the fall television lineup played.

It was not quite as disturbing as political commercials, but I have news for the creators of the “We won’t break message:” Most of us break regularly. That is part of the human condition. Some of us just hide it better than others.

Speaking of hiding from breakage, New Age music saved my day today.

If there exists such a thing, I’d like to try Old Age music next Sunday for if plans for such a genre are in the making, it could be a delightful second choice to escape to and with.

And no, I’m not thinking Lawrence Welk, although who could forget the wonderful Bobby and Sissy.