In the past 15 years, reality television has invaded cable. Shows like the "Real World," "Mob Wives" and "Jersey Shore" churn out "stars" as often as the San Diego Chargers fail to play up to the team’s talent level.
My wife watches all these shows. I can't stand them. We have two TVs simply for the reason that I refuse to be in the same room as any of them.
They're based around the idea that the camera has documented someone's real life. Supposedly, their lives are so much more interesting than our own that it's must-see TV.
The problem? It's all concocted nonsense. The scenes are staged and fake as many of the lips and other "enhanced" body parts of the folks in Hollywood.
All this insane, crazy television has only helped me appreciate what's so great about sports.
You want nail-biting turns, unpredictable outcomes and drama? I give you football, basketball and baseball. Just tune in or show up at a stadium near you.
Sure, we get our fair share of clunkers (see Alabama and LSU, twice, last season). But it's never safe to assume which game you can ignore. Who’d have thought Oklahoma State at Iowa State would’ve been one of the best games of the year last season?
The biggest reason to watch as many games as possible is that you don't want to miss that "moment." It's that special, unique point in history when something happens that no one could have imagined.
They’re moments that Hollywood would erase in a movie script because they're too unbelievable.
We had two of them this past weekend in the NFL. One made you tear your hair out in anger and frustration, the other touched our hearts and reminded us to call a loved one.
Of course, you know I'm talking about Torrey Smith's remarkable Sunday night in Baltimore, when he caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The performance came the very night after his little brother died in a motorcyle accident.
Smith's determination and maturity, both on and off the field, is inspiring. He is a remarkable young man. Count me in the Torrey Smith fan club.
His night was one of those special “moments” that demands we turn on the TV. It makes you step back and truly appreciate life and the game.
Then Monday night rolled around.
Before going any further, it's probably time to reiterate what so many have said. The bizarre calls, the confusion and now the blown game are only partially related to the men in zebra suits throwing the yellow flags.
Yes, they were bound to fail.
And it's unfair to the replacement officials not to bring up the fact that the real refs make their share of mistakes too — have they reversed that Cutler fumble call from 2008 yet?.
Finally, though, the replacements have stolen a game and flat out made a call we can directly link to an end result.
In a league where teams play only 16 games, one of them for the Green Bay Packers is tainted to a degree unmatched in NFL history.
I won't recite the travesties here, they've been rehashed enough. But after having a day to soak in exactly what I watched, I'm coming around to reality TV again.
Isn't that debacle Monday night — two teams, 245 yards of penalties and one “touchception” — exactly the kind of moment I long for? When will I ever have the opportunity to watch another ending like that again?
Wait, don’t answer that.
Much like the trashy “Jon & Kate Plus 8” or “Toddlers & Tiaras,” the NFL refereeing debacle is the weekly show that keeps on giving.
I want to turn my eyes away in disgust, but watching the train wreck is so oddly satisfying. And my wife has to watch TV in the other room.
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