??? I tried to watch the Super Bowl last night and fell asleep during the first half. My not sleeping the night before must have caught up to me as I awoke at 2 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. At 3 am I remembered that I had not taken my bipolar meds and got up to take them about 8 hours late. So I guess my record is still intact of not watching any pro ball games this season. I am a sports lover and avid ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) basketball fan, but no longer watch any professional sports on television. The athletes make sinful amounts of money just for playing a game while being a piss poor roll model for the children that want to be like they are. That along with the strikes they have gone on and the steroid controversy leaves a sour taste to professional sports. We all the time hear of one athlete or another in trouble with the law. And the teams don’t seem to care as long as they can get the players back out there playing again. Though I must admit the Atlanta Falcons wasted very little time in suspending Micheal Vick. Nor did the commissioner of the NFL as they suspended him from playing football in the league. They did act promptly but I think there was more to it than just the public outrage that he was fighting dogs with the money he had gotten from the Falcons. I think part of the reasoning for suspending him was monetary as they wanted as much of their money back as they could get. It’s not just football, it also encompasses baseball and basketball too. They both have very serious issues that really need to be addressed and I won’t watch any of them any longer. Colleges are not immune to the bad behavior of athletes, coaches and supporters but they are held accountable more than pro athletes and teams are. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) has strict rules for all sports and enforces them to the letter. Individual teams and coaches also typically enforce suspensions and such when a player goes out of bounds with their on or off court/field life. That type of enforcement insures that the athletes and schools haven’t cheated their way to a better season and places them on higher ground to me than pro ball. Plus the students at the games cheering for their schools make for an exciting atmosphere. This is most noticeable at basketball games where they are enclosed in the gymnasium and cheers are easily heard and noticeably pick up the teams encouraging them to play even harder and better. Thinking of that makes me want to attend a game near me soon even though I am way past the typical ages of students. Student athletes get nothing out of playing other than maybe their education and the love of playing the game. Maybe I can interest my daughter in going to a game at her high school. It’s been an eternity since I was inside a high school gym but used to love it and went to all my schools games.