Sports
I was incredibly thankful that the start of the annual college basketball championship tournament corresponded with my night of endless TV. I don't know if I would have otherwise made it. Of all the programs I watched, the handful of basketball games were the most "real" in that they're live and unrehearsed with an energy exclusive to amateur athletics. In my opinion, sports is one of television's most redeeming aspects, but nevertheless, there is a definite air of fantasy portrayed in athletics, leaving the spectator to dream vicariously. Watching the underachievers from Princeton eliminate the defending champs from UCLA made me wish it was I knocking down last second buckets instead of watching others do it on TV. In fact, ever since I was a kid, I've always fantasized of heroic athletic endeavors, and though I had my share in high school, TV reminds me that all truly great feats are performed on a national stage.

In the end, it probably sounds like I'm on some anti-TV crusade, but really, all the shows I criticized are shows I enjoy. I wouldn't have watched them otherwise. Television manages to be highly entertaining as it systematically reinforces the drabness of the typical life. It accomplishes this on so many different levels, that it is almost impossible to detect in short sittings. While soaking up the wonderful things portrayed, people rarely stop to realize that with each show their own life becomes paler and paler. Of course, if television were any other way, it's doubtful anyone would watch (maybe we shouldn't).