I am in a town where sports are all there is….it is the controlling force of the town. The area surrounding the sport stadium is a complete ghost town when there are no events. when there is a game…..one cannot get a hotel room for a radius of over 40 miles in any direction….they have been long sold out. Traffic near the area, a few days ago a complete ghost town….is everywhere. Once empty restaurants…now have long waiting lists to get in….Bars, all over the place are full. Rowdiness rules. In a day or two…all will return to normal…..a ghost town. Each place of business is now charging premiums for anything. They come here from far and wide….to waste both time and Money. Such complete gashmius!
Meanwhile….every day….most people are giving not so free advertising and marketing for this nonsense. The clothing they are wearing promotes the local teams, all under license….bringing in huge amounts of money….just to have the team name on the clothing….and in the team colors of course….over inflates the price of the garment. And its not just garments….one can buy anything at all….in the team colors of course….with the team name on it……I even have seen kitchen appliances with this advertising for sale everywhere, in almost every store in town. More gashmius!
I have a neighbor….just a few houses away….He has this nonsense decorating his house and yard all year long. He is by far not alone. he cannot afford, of course to go to an event with the team he is adverting. They do not give him a red cent….but he has paid for all himself….to promote THEM.
And….the day of an event….and many hours before its start….local media….radio and TV…covers all. EACH game on broadcast radio is on almost EVERY station in the area….there is almost nothing else to listen to…. only the team propaganda.
Few residents of the actual town can afford to go to an event….and there are no tickets available…except from scalpers….event and often season was sold out long in advance. But they still support the team….giving all…..A few hours before event, on event day, local buses stop charging fares, all is free, both before and after the event (if buses are still running when game is over)…..Instead of bus sign saying where bus is going…..it now promotes team…..GO TEAM GO!….(all day on a game day)….
OUTSIDE stadium, long before event, often in the freezing cold, people gather to party all over. they call this tailgating…..aka getting drunk and overeating. Most will n not be attending event…Anywhere else, this would be called LOITERING. This is serious huge business.
The town pays LOW salaries…but these team members earn huge paychecks. If they do live in the area, they easily afford the most upscale homes. the rest of the town is a poverty pocket. The difference in the incomes is quite evident. The team members have a strong union and a guaranteed salary amount minimum. The minimum they can be paid, is far more than almost anybody in town earns. Most players are easily millionaires. Everybody else is struggling to earn a living.
BUT….we WORSHIP them all! A new religion, the religion of sport. Completely false, complete avodah Zorrah.
Rabbi Miller warned us all years ago….stay away! Complete and udder gashmius. No sense or purpose, just a war environment. All means nothing. FRUM YIDDEN should avoid all at any cost.
AND….what is a SUPER BOWL….only a deeper glorification , fortunately this hyper party will end the nonsense for a few months….until the frenzy starts up again…..AND…if YOUR team is not in the SUPER BOWL…..the party is over….unless you wish to change your belief in another team, be it only temporary….until next season….. Only one false diety is allowed at a ti me to be so fully worshiped. AS a season progresses , each weak diety looses its power to a stronger one, until only one reigns supreme. When the new supreme diety is crowned, the party is over……until next time…..when all of the chaos starts up again…. MORE GASHMIUS!