Football Counter-Programming 2025--Week 5: Rest in Peace

Recently, Robert Redford died. 

I don't have a very strong connection to Redford. As a child, I remember him in Out of Africa and The Natural. I've seen his version of Jay Gatsby. I certainly know him as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Alexander Pierce. But he hasn't been a huge acting presence in my life.

I know that so many people revere him, however. And when anyone of notoriety dies, the social media posts light up with praise and remembrances.

I want to highlight an observation that I liked from one such remembrance--via The Ringer. It posits that Redford shaped a new late 1960s & 1970s version of the male archetype as an in between space transitioning from the midcentury male who "bends but never breaks" [I'll suggest Captain Steve (America) Rogers, who can get up, dust himself off, and do this all day.] and the 1980s muscle-head who never stops inflicting himself and his pain on his target. [Here I'll point to Tony "Iron Man" Stark, who is a thinking version of Rambo--someone who always has whatever he needs to inflict him action on the enemy.]

Redford never came off as someone who would happily take a punch. He was too pretty for that. And he wasn't the angriest man in the room either.

I'm not a fighter. So, I could never pattern myself after a tough guy--either one of the Greatest Generation or of the Last Action Hero genre. But we need different versions of male attitude and action these days. If I have to pick, I'll pick Redford I suppose.

But, whomever you pick, don't pick College Football on a Saturday.

Thanks and see you next week.

Football Counter-Programming 2025--Week 4: A Blast from the (Recent) Past

Now is the week where I play catch up and get retroactively upset about something that either

a. you didn't even know happened--and maybe don't care (until I try to convince you otherwise), or 

b. you did know that it happened, but you don't care because . . . well, it happened a while ago. 

Ed. note: It occurs to me as I create this justification structure that it is very similar to the whole counter-programming effort. Here I am trying to convince you not to do something that you are already committed to. And the only shot I have to make you care is to pull out all of the rhetorical flourishes and engagements that I can come up with to swerve you into my direction. Unfortunately, since I set aside time to write these diatribes in a very narrow window that usually buts up against the start of the Saturday noon kickoff . . . my skill level and my creativity are often not up to the task I put before myself.

Andbutso . . . what is this past moment that got my retroactively upset?

Take a look at the accompanying image for this post.

Is it helping?

Sure, Sam Neill played a paleontologist in the past. But that is not the past that I am referring to. Or it is only part of that past. Paleontologists study the far distant past, using the fossilized remains of dinosaurs (and other flora and fauna) to help us understand the complexities of evolution and the historical development of our world.

But again, I'm also more upset about the recent past.

Because . . . last weekend I watched a past episode of Netflix's Everybody's Live with John Mulaney. (Specifically the April 2025 Dinosaur episode.) 

And when I watch it, I got PISSED.

Mulaney's tongue-in-cheek premise was (paraphrased) . . . are we sure about dinosaurs?

Meaning . . . do we have the whole story of dinosaurs right? Because he made some jokes about how scientists think they evolved into birds now. And that some dinosaurs had feathers then. And just how accurate can those museum skeletons be anyway? Those types of jokes.

Funny enough. And I'm not here to get crotchety and demand that John do a better job of explaining the scientific method and how uncertainty and the willingness to be wrong is baked into good science. And to get also not get into the history of how generations of paleontologists did in fact, very much so, get dinosaurs wrong at first. And then science did its thing and fossil records were better analyzed. And then science itself got better at pretty much everything. So today's dinosaurs are probably (in my opinion) on pretty solid ground, theory wise.

Those sorts of Neil DeGrasse Tyson attitudes just get in the way of the funny jokes. I get that.

This is not what upset me.

Because, after the monologue, John as well as his first guests Conan O'Brien and Ayo Adebiri, took some live phone calls from the live April 2025 airing. And the SECOND caller was non other than Dr. Jack Horner, himself. Noted paleontologist and the inspiration of Sam Neill's Jurassic Park character pictured above.

The problem was the Mulaney and his guests DID NOT recognize Dr. Horner for who he was and though he was just some yokel Ph.D. paleontologist from Rock State University or something. Maybe they don't care and I'm sure they don't. But hell, they live and film in Hollywood. Couldn't SOMEONE on the staff have enough knowledge of recent film blockbusters to know who was calling and swerve the conversation into some joke trajectory that made sense? Rather than simply treating like any other scientist that they don't know.

Maybe it couldn't have happened in the moment of the phone conversation--which was pretty short and silly. So I get then why a off-stage production assistant couldn't talk to Mulaney's earpiece (?) and correct him. But the episode continued for anther 40ish minutes after the initial phone call and NO ONE figured out what had happened and didn't think to write up a cue card to get Mulaney to throw back to the earlier phone call with a bit more context?

Just a huge missed opportunity.

I'm still kind of upset about it.

But not as upset as YOU will be if you spend several hours of your Saturday watching college football.

Read a Michael Crichton book instead, why don't you?

And remember, your land-grant alma mater is desperately looking for enough funds to pay hard working scientists to keep doing quality research. The athletic department doesn't need any more of your help.

Until next week . . . remember also . . . that life finds a way.

Football Counter-Programming 2025: Week 3--Best of this quarter century

I apologize to myself and probably to a few of you for not putting the Lord of the Rings movies on this list. Just know that I am kind of uncomfortable with this choice and that Smeagol is truly disappointed in me. So, I've put his scowling face here as something of an apology.

It's 2025 and a while back lots of media outlets started compiling their Best of the Quarter Century listicles. So, who am I to miss out on an idea and flip it into a content mine for FC-P?

So, without further preamble, here are my best TV shows, movies, and books of the past 25 years. And thought I might should have split these into three separate lists and thus guaranteed ideas for FC-P into the middle of the season . . . well, I've decided instead to just throw my thoughts out there in a big 'ol pile of thoughts. 

If you are one of the few people who have been semi-regular readers of WWYG?! during it's (kinda sort) two decades of irrelevance, you most likely will be very unsurprised and non-plussed by all that follows.

I'm nothing if not predictable, is what I'm saying.

BEST OF THE QUARTER CENTURY!

10. Yesterday [movie; debuted in 2019] I just love this movie. If we watched TV like we did when I was a kid, and I was flipping channels and this appeared . . . I'd drop everything to watch the rest from that point on. Just fun and heartwarming and full of good music.

9. The Vlogbrothers YouTube series; debuted in 2007] The Brotherhood 2.0 webseries debuted in 2007 and morphed into the standard Vlogbrothers format in 2008. Nothing on this list has likely had a longer term impact on me. I think about the Green brothers  regularly and watch every single one of their videos each and every week. I admire what they do. Full stop.

8. Severance [TV show; debuted in 2022] Such a recent entry! But such a stylish and interesting show. It's been extensively covered in every which way. And I have no idea what is happening next. But I really enjoy watching the show and look forward to whatever they come up with next.

7. Kidding [TV show; debuted in 2018] It was something of a tie between Kidding, which I love, and Shrinking, which I also . . . um, love. But I'm going to give this spot to Kidding because I think fewer people know about it. (Don't know if that is true, but it feels that way to me.) And a bonus because I blogged about it once before! 

6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier [movie; debuted in 2014] My favorite, basic bitch Avenger. And my favorite Cap movie. Come for the opening scene where Cap and Black Widow take down a ship at sea. Stay for the spy thriller vibes and for Steve Rogers best looking Cap suit.

5. Andor [TV show; debuted in 2022] I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this because much of the internet has already covered it. Simply the best Star Wars story told in the most intricate and beautiful way.

4. Chuck [TV show; debuted in 2007] Some . . . well, more than I care to admit . . . doesn't fit well in a post #MeToo world. The male gaze is all over this show. But a lot of it is very nerdy and fun. And I was super into spy shows at the time. It's another foundational entertainment experience for my family. And a top contender for the subject of tattoo #2, when that time comes around.

3. Avatar: The Last Airbender [TV show; debuted in 2005] A touchstone for all of my kids and myself growing up. A richly imagined story that matured from silly kids stuff in the first half of season 1 into something worthwhile and captivating. And very funny as well.

2. House of Leaves [book; published in 2000] I'm lucky that it was published in 2000 and therefore I can justify adding my most mind-blowing reading experience to this list. As with my number 1 choice, once I fell into it, I tried to get others to read it . . . if they dared. It's not an easy read, but the experience makes the story come to life in ways no other book has done. And I've tried other Danielewski books and (unfortunately for me) they haven't lived up to this.

1. LOST [TV show; debuted in 2003] A TV sensation. I was a super fan from the start and did my best to proselytize for anyone who would listen. And, hey . . . it's the subject of my first (and so far, only) tattoo. So it gets the number 1 spot because I loved it unabashedly from the start and never really lost faith in whatever it wanted to do.

So . . . here are SO MANY things that you can experience today (and in the following Saturdays as much MUCH better uses of your time than watching college football. 

Please consider any or all of these as something better to do.

And thank you!

Football Counter-Programming 2025: Week 2--Wristwatch

It's been around six or seven years since Dad seemed something like himself. (Which was always a changing perception as he aged . . . which is--of course--true for all of us.)

It's been about four years since Dad gave me his Seiko wristwatch featuring the Pioneer company logo on the black watch face. I knew at the time that he was starting to give things away and begin the slow, symbolic process of saying goodbye.

It's been a little under three years since Dad entered a full time care facility and began slipping away.

It's been almost one year since Dad died. 

It's only been a couple of days since I looked at that the watch on my left arm and realized that I am now definitely past the age that I remember him wearing it every day.

That shocked me. 

We all age and I know when I look in the mirror that I'm no where at all who I was even five years ago, much less fifteen years ago. But to come to the realization that I'm now older than Dad was in my memory . . . when he seemed fully grown and adult and in charge. And I was just a young kid, starting to edge into college and couldn't even see where my life might someday go.

Sure . . . its very logical, since I've already got two adult kids of my own and the third is right on that edge of college where I was in my memory. But it still seems shocking. Because Dad (even when he was younger and especially when he was older and growing to be "less") . . . he was still . . . Dad.

My inner monologue just doesn't see myself as Dad. Even though I've been one for approaching thirty years now.

It just goes to show you that we are all masters at lying to ourselves.

So, don't lie to yourself this Saturday. 

Your participation in today's college football smorgasbord--whether in person or through television--matters not at all. You cannot affect the outcome and your presence in person or in spirit will not be registered by the teams at play.

So do not give it your time.

Do something today where you can tangible affect change.

Football Counter-Programming 2025: What Does Anything Mean?

Over the years, I've spent weekends trying to distract you from the hegemony of college football. And (so I'm told) one of the biggest games of the year is happening on week one.

So . . . what can I do against all of that?

Maybe nothing.

Maybe I join the hive mind and become part of the college football culture.

Maybe I give up the fight?

Or . . .

maybe . . .

not?

So, (sources say) that the "important game" this week is Texas versus Ohio State. And I happen to be near Ohio State, so maybe I can offer some relevant perspective? (But likely not.)

Maybe I'll lean somewhat into the mess and fight college football fire with randomly connected (?) facts?

For instance, did you know that the Texas starting quarterback is someone named Arch Manning? And were you further aware that he is the nephew/grandson of many famous Manning quarterbacks? Does that mean anything?

Did you know that he wears number 16 on his jersey?

What does that mean?

Well, like--I'm sure you do as well--when I hear the number 16 I immediately think of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States. And he was born in Kentucky and famously lived in Ohio. So I guess Abraham Lincoln (a good midwesterner) would be a supporter of Ohio State against Texas--a known member of the Confederate States of America.

So, I guess, if you are going to root for college football today, you should do what Abe would do and root for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Maybe the fate of the nation truly depends on it?

But, in the end, remember that it doesn't matter who wins or loses today. And your alma mater only cares that you should know who the 16th American president was. So, give a healthy financial donation to your local college history department and support quality social studies education. Because that is something that the fate of this country may actually depend upon.

Go pick some apples and make apple cider or something. It might be a pretty day where you are!