Last night, Dan stayed up late to watch the end of a football game. As I went to bed alone, I held myself back from telling him that it’s not necessary to stay up and watch the end of a football game. It’s true, though. You can always turn on the television the next morning and see all the scores, highlights, and player interviews over and over and over again. All day. In fact, on some channels they never stop talking about sports and their stamina never ceases to amaze me. They tell you who won and how they won, who lost and how they lost, which players are being traded to which teams and how much they will be paid, which teams are likely to win next time and how they might do it. What’s more, as the sportscasters deliver this important information and interview “sports experts” about these urgent matters, a “sports ticker” is rolling across the bottom of the screen to keep us all updated on the latest scores, trades, injuries, and scandals.
Even though I am not much of a sports fan, I could impersonate one with confidence. With a husband who is an avid fan himself, I am exposed to a great deal of “second hand sports.” I pick up all kinds of sports expertise through passive, uninterested listening. For example, I know all about Notre Dame’s recent hiring of Bill Weis as head coach and I could hold my own in a conversation about Ben Rothlisberger’s amazing run as a rookie quarterback for the Steelers this season. Oh, and last night it came down to the last second but the Chiefs won over the Titans. All that, and I am well-restedHa!