It’s a smell like burning oil eminent from the carcass of freedom and democracy these days. Fraudulent political demagogues repeat shameful lies in the lame pursuit of corrupt power and worthless riches while we, the ignorant mass of propagandized screen worshipers, seek distraction from wherever it may come. Many of our false idols have been athletes. We don’t really like it when they are revealed to be human. We prefer soft piano and strings with the pictures of their rising above us all to accept the gold.

The talented and thoughtful sports writer for the San Francisco Chronicle Ann Killion has aptly described the Olympics as a television show. I’ve seen it like that for decades now, calling it the Schmolympics while many friends regard my snide remarks as nothing more than my usual un-American ranting. This year, however, it is more starkly obvious. Yes. I admire most of the athletes for their skill and very hard work. No, I don’t dig the schmaltzy faux patriotism that comes gurgling across the airwaves. Nor the way that the television producers tend to emphasize whatever the United States participants are doing. The Japanese people didn’t want this but who cares? There is a lot of money at stake here. If Simone Biles wants to go all mental on us, we’ll just have to find another star. The pandemic is still hanging around, spoiling everybody’s party. Those nervous athletes need to suck it up and smile for the cameras. We’ve got sponsors that have bags of money and cryptocurrency to give us and we need it. We did the MLB and the NBA and the NFL without any slobs in the stands and we can do this too.

Climate change, wars during the pandemic, mass murders, it’s all making us a little crazy. I mean, why don’t we talk about the trade deadline instead, okay? Where will Kris Bryant go? Hey, look, the Oakland A’s got Andrew Chafin! Will the Giants get Max Scherzer? Do the Yankees still have a voracious appetite for small market stars?

Biles said, “I feel like I’m also not having as much fun. This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself but I felt like I was still doing it for other people…doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people.” Some clods undoubtedly will say that she is being selfish.. Horse pucky. What has been woefully forgotten is that athletic games do start out as fun. That is still the best reason to play them. In this crumbling culture, there is no real fun anymore. Everything needs to be monetized. preferably under the control of soul lacking creeps like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates. And one other thing: it’s a whole lot better to play than to watch. Not enough of us seem to know that.