JJ SAYS: Too much screen time

Football overload|

I feel like a teenager. I’m suffering from too much screen time.

It is not that I spent too much time on social media - I can probably count my “friends” in very low triple digits - or even that I overuse my work computer. My malady stems from too much time spent in front of a television, more specifically watching grown men run, bash and battle over an odd shaped (and properly inflated) ball.

Five games in three days is about four more than I can handle.

There is no secret that I love football. I prefer the high school game where I can watch the action live and get the real emotional impact of athletes playing for the love of the game, the honor of their school and, most importantly, the camaraderie of their teammates.

I’m also an ardent San Francisco 49ers fanatic, although they have long since priced and distanced me out of the live-viewing range.

So it was a given that I would screen view their Saturday confrontation with the Minnesota Vikings. Where I went wrong was watching the other three NFL playoff games, and topping everything off by viewing the college National Championship game.

There was a lot of good and exciting football. Too much good and exciting football.

By Sunday night, I could barely remember who had won which game. As I finally powered off, I had to think hard about who had played who. Forget about remembering any specific plays. I could hardly remember who quarterbacked which team, who was a sure-fire Hall of Famer and who was part of the next generation of great quarterbacks.

There is no way I could analyze how the 49ers stuffed the Vikings’ running game or how Kansas City could come back from a 24-0 deficit to score 51 points. That game alone was enough to trip my circuit breaker.

Now, who is it the Chiefs will be playing for the AFC championship? Oh, that’s right, they play some team called the Tennessee Titans. By the way, has anyone ever seen a Titan in Tennessee?

I watched most of that game between naps and watched just because I was sick and tired about everyone raving about the Ravens and wanted to see them reap the rewards of the overhyped.

Of course I, like every Niner fan, had a rooting interest in the Seattle vs. Green Bay game that would decide the 49ers’ opponent in the NFC championship game. But by the time that game was played Sunday night, I was so groggy that even Marshawn Lynch looked like a professional football player.

I, of course, was rooting for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is one of my heroes, and watching him perform his magic was enough to keep me awake (barely) to the end.

Like a binge drinker, I was back in my recliner to start the week with the National Championship game. I should have paid more attention because many of the participants for both LSU and Clemson will surely be on my screen playing for NFL teams next season.

By Monday night, I was blurry eyed and absolutely exhausted. Approximately 20 hours of watching football on TV takes its toll on your body.

(Contact John Jackson at johnie.jackson@arguscourier.com)

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