Things that Robert is thinking about that keep him from accomplishing anything.

 
The Good Ol' Days
My new favorite pastime is watching reruns of Super Bowl highlights from the early years of the game and providing commentary in the voice of today's moral majority-esque sports pundits. You know, the folks who decry today's players' lack of respect for the game, lament the poor decision-making of today's young player, and so on. Delicious irony. There's nothing like seeing Bob Griese running for his life like an impala chased by cheetah for a 30 yard loss in Super Bowl VI and chiming in with, "This is something every young quarterback has to learn. You've got to know when to throw the ball away. That's what separates the great quarterbacks of the past from today's players." Or, during Super Bowl V watching a succession of late hits, mutual chokeholds between giant linemen, and a good forearm shiver to the head to inspire commentary like, "You've got to keep your emotions under control in a game like this. You are disrespecting your team and the game every time you do something like that. I mean this is the Super Bowl after all. Back when I played, passions would run hot, but we always managed to keep our emotions in check." Or, watching players jaw at each other after a tackle or a touchdown and crying, "That's just stupid. Act like you've done this before. Act like you've been there before." Not to mention how Joe Namath became a cultural icon for being a mouthy hick who won a Super Bowl, but now Warren Sapp is giving the game a black eye. It's always good for a laugh at the pizza place.

What is also fun about watching these games and comparing it to movies like The Longest Yard and North Dallas Forty. Somehow, with a little distance, the games, or at least the players, don't look too different even though at the time it seemed like they bore no resemblance at all.
posted by RSaunders at 9:27 AM ⇒