Finally, a Good Rant...

Not to start with wailing and lament, but man, am I ever tired. Not sure it's because I'm feeling a bit under-the-weather, or if it's simply a result of having a crappy bed, but it sure is nauseating. Maybe it's just because I thought I was used to sleeping on my own, but really I just need my wife beside me to actually sleep well.

That said, I don't really have much to report. Did a little day trip today, just to get out of the house--went to Drumheller, home of the world famous Royal Tyrell Museum. Didn't actually go into the museum without my family, but I checked it out. Let me tell you, if I was a resident of Drumheller, I'd likely go crazy with the amount of dinosaurs in that town. Every street corner in the downtown area has at least one dinosaur statue on it, and one of the main structures in town (couldn't figure out what it was) has a dino sculpture that is at least four storeys tall. Which is probably why I couldn't figure out what the structure was--there was a T. Rex blocking my view.

Nice enough town. Has its own water tower (which, of course, I couldn't photograph) and small cemetary on the outskirts. It must really hit its stride in the summer, though, because man, there sure are a lot of empty parking stalls and closed tourist attractions in the winter.

That actually wouldn't be a bad living, if you could make it work. I mean, your store is only open six months of the year, yet you make enough money in those six months to subsist for the remaining six, at least, that's what I assume. Maybe they drive a truck in the winter or something. It makes you wonder somewhat about their markup, but hey, a guy's gotta make a buck, right?

Overall, it was a pretty good trip. I must admit that driving is getting a little tedious without someone to talk to, but it's all good. Fifteen more days.

One other thing that I wanted to talk about in this space tonight that is really starting to bother me, and, well, I think it probably bothers you too. That issue is the ridiculous amount of corporate sponsorship that's going on in sports nowadays. Have you noticed? For example, I was listening to my Seahawks play on Sunday (the local sports radio station was carrying the feed), and now it's not just the red zone (the 20-yard-line to the goal line, for those who are unfamiliar), it's the "Heinz Red Zone." Same thing with Lions games last year--"And that pass gives the Lions another Toyota Trucks first down." It is as if the imputation of a company name suddenly lends a certain validity to the sport. Or maybe the sport lends validity to the company.

Now granted, this has been happening for quite some time, so why the mention today? Well, I was listening to my Canucks beat yet another Eastern Conference opponent, and the PA announcer in the Corel Centre or whatever it's called now (and don't get me started on corporate sponsorship of arenas and other sporting venues), when he was announcing a goal, had the following script: "Vancouver goal, his ninth of the season, scored by number 9, Taylor Pyatt. Assist to number 19 Markus Naslund. So-and-so Jewelers Rolex time of the goal, 13:00." Are you joking? Someone even sponsors the time the goal was scored? Where does it end?

In all honesty, who thinks, "Oh, it's the Heinz Red Zone, eh? You know, I was going to purchase a less-expensive-yet-equally-tasty generic product this week, but because I now know that the inflated price I pay for condiments goes to the very radio station I hear my football games on, I now choose to purchase Heinz"? What possible benefit do these companies derive from this? Yes, yes, I understand the branding that brings your company's name into the common vernacular of the day (for example, I have an mp3 player, but I often call it an iPod, even though it's not, and I will never buy one. Ah yes, iPod; another product that I would pay an inflated price for simply to pad U2's already-hefty pockets to hock on TV, which is why I bought a less-expensive-yet-equally-good player made by Sandisk), and I know why said branding is valuable. However, a company like Heinz or Toyota are far beyond the "feathered upstart" category and well into the mainstream.

And why must everything become a forum for advertisement? For example, back in Vancouver, taxis now have hubcaps that advertise for Denny's. I'm not joking. This is getting ridiculous.

What the heck is going on? Isn't there something that should be done about this? At what point do we draw the line and say, "That's enough"? Or are we already too far past that point? It's like the story of the frog--if you put a live frog in boiling water, it'll jump out, but if you put a live frog in cold water and slowly bring it to a boil, it'll stay in. These companies and broadcasters have brought this upon us so insidiously, that we honestly don't remember a time when the rink was called the Pacific Coliseum not because it was sponsored by a company called "Pacific Coliseums, Inc." but simply because it was a good name. When they fix the roof at BC Place, how long is it going to be before some company says, "You know, we'll replace the whole roof, but only if you stop calling it BC Place and start calling it, 'King of Floors Stadium'"?

Advertising has become such an innate part of our lives that we can't even recognize when we're being unfairly bombarded by it. I'm not a communist; I understand that ad revenue makes the world go 'round and allows me to listen to my hockey games on the radio. There was a time, however, when putting ads on every square inch of the boards, the zambonis, the section entrances, the concourse, and the stairwells wasn't necessary. Why did it work then?

There you go. Something to ponder as you go about your day. Of course, I'm always interested to hear what you think via the comments section, so feel free, just as Theo did for yesterday's post. He did that by himself, by the way. No idea how he opened up the comment window, but he did, and he typed. Mommy had to type his name for him and actually post the thing, but he's participating in the discussion.

See you tomorrow.