What's Entertainment?

I'm getting tired of the words that blare from the TV in the other room. The sports channels can't stop talking about the NFL players who abuse people or drugs in their personal lives.

At first I was amused. It's funny to watch NFL big-wigs tap dance around violence issues, especially since the league has denied head-injury issues from Day 1. They're good at sweeping stuff under the carpet, so it was fun to hear that they couldn't this time.

They're sinking deeper into the quicksand, blathering on about role models and personal conduct. They need to address the real issue, and the sooner the better. It's money. They want to maximize viewership so they can attract lucrative sponsorship. Why not just say so?

They need butts in stadium seats and on TV-room couches. Why not ask which direction to go to keep the viewers viewing? I wonder what football fans would choose.

The high road might be the answer. There's nothing wrong with higher safety standards, good sportsmanship, and honest athleticism. If viewers also want players' personal conduct to be above reproach, add that to the drafting process. It's still going to be over-the-top, action-packed, and star-studded.

Fans might also choose to watch the best players in spite of their many flaws. If that is how the wallets vote, maybe it's time to step down from the pulpit and leave the policing to the police. Maybe fans don't care what the players do off the field.

Just because I don't actively watch sports doesn't mean that I'm off the hook for those sorts of decisions. How do you enjoy anything any person does if you hate their personal conduct? Not easy.

What if Churchill couldn't have been prime minister because of his lifestyle? Am I allowed to enjoy Woody Allen movies? Can I like GW Bush's paintings if I disliked his presidency? May I adore watching 'Thriller' every Halloween? Should I boycott books by Poe and Hemingway? Songs by Whitney Houston?

I think I'd just as soon enjoy entertainment for its own sake, and not worry about how the entertainers live their lives. So if I actively watched football, I know what I'd choose. Ironically, I prefer to watch tennis because it's so well-behaved and civilized. Go figure.