Really, America?
I know it's been more than three weeks since football officially ended and the Jeremy Lin craze has slowed down. Right now, you're waiting for the NBA Playoffs or Major League Baseball to get rolling.
But that doesn't mean you have to stoop to the level of watching the NFL Combine, NBA All-Star Game or, even worse, NASCAR.
It's like you've been dumped by the love of your life and, rather than simply waiting to find someone else you can connect with, you settle for the first girl or guy you pass on the street.
It's like TCU prematurely making the jump from the Mountain West Conference to the Big East instead of waiting for the entire conference realignment scenario to unfold. Sure, they ended up in a much better conference (the Big 12), but it cost the school $5 million to make the move.
While I'd prefer to watch the NBA All-Star Game over the Oscars or whichever over-hyped awards show it was that caused me to avoid the Twitterverse on Sunday night, but that doesn't mean I'm going to watch it.
Let's start with the NFL Combine. If you watch this for more than 30 minutes in one setting, you're that guy in the relationship who can't let go and keeps the sweatshirt she left in your apartment because the smell reminds you of her. Seriously, let it go.
What's entertaining about watching 21- and 22-year-olds run a 40-yard dash, or seeing how high their vertical is, or sitting on the edge of your seat to see which quarterback has the best chemistry with receivers he's unfamiliar with and plays he's never run?
The answer is nothing. It's the most overrated and meaningless event of the year on the sports calendar. Ask the Raiders how important it was that JaMarcus Russell could throw a football 65 yards from his knees (that's a little over one-and-a-half 40-yard dashes for you Combine fans out there).
Now on to the NBA All-Star Game. Unless TNT had Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley participate in a halftime food-eating contest, you wasted your time if you watched it. It's hard enough to watch an entire NBA regular-season game, but try watching the All-Star Game for 10 minutes. If you think professional basketball players don't care in a regular game, you'll be amazed by the apathy displayed in the matchup of the game's best players.
Lastly, NASCAR. It bothers me to even mention it in a Sports Authority column because, well, NASCAR is not a sport. At its best, it's a bunch of racecars making left-hand turns over and over and over again. At its worst, it's a miniature Demolition Derby, as Juan Pablo Montoya found out Monday night.
I know the thirst for all-things-sports in America is at an all-time high, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable to watch anything ESPN or any other channel throws on the tube.
Fortunately, America, the calendar is about to turn to March, and that means it's almost time to fill out a bracket and start rooting for the newest George Mason, VCU or Butler to become the feel-good Cinderella story of college sports, something the NCAA could really use right now.
So, hang in there during the final week before the Big East tournament kicks off a great month of basketball next week. I know life is rough without football, but resist the urge to stay in your pajamas all day watching the Combine, listening to Adele and gorging on an endless supply of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
Contact Andrew Owens at aowens2@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
