Our saviour has returned! At least that’s the way the news media in Washington is reporting it today. Joe Gibbs is returning to town! I’ll forgive you if you don’t know who he is – but I doubt many people in this area will. Gibbs coached the Washington Redskins to dozens of Super Bowl trophies and thousands of victories for many legendary years in the mythic past. Or something like that. Anyway, he’s back to take command again and redeem the beloved team.
I’ll probably hear from some friends about using the religious references in this rant but let’s face it, football is about the only national religion we have. (And the high holy days are only a couple of weeks away.) But the bottom line is the bottom line. Football and most other professional sports haven’t been "games" in many decades. They are big, very profitable entertainment businesses who’s only attachment to a city is based on how much money they make. If bringing back a popular high profile coach (or buying a big name player) will sell more tickets and raise the TV ratings, then that’s what we must do. I, on the other hand, will spend my time and money elsewhere.