Ban the NFL Playoffs 2007-'08 Now!

I'm asking readers to email me their signatures to ban the remaining NFL playoff games for the 2007-'08 season. If I collect more than 1,000 requests, I will then present them to the NFL and perhaps Congress.

I believe the NFL playoffs as they now stand are hurtful to society at large.

Even if you don't agree with me, please respect my wish to "agree for us to disagree."

These are my reasons to eliminate the remaining NFL playoff games for this season:

Excessive Gambling
Betting on pro football games - especially playoff games - is rampant. Read this sentence from www.madduxsports.com on NFL picks:
"There is no sport that even comes close to popularity of NFL football betting."

Betting on the remaining teams in chase for the NFC or AFC divisional championship could lead to problem gambling. This is defined by the National Council on Problem Gambling as "behavior which causes disruptions in any major area of life: psychological, physical, social or vocational."

Excessive Beer Drinking
It's no secret beer companies are major sponsors of NFL playoff games. Read this excerpt from USA Today, August 21, 2005

"The NFL is able to charge - and get - large fees because of its strong TV ratings among men. Five of the six most-watched TV shows by men 18-49 years old in 2004 were NFL games . . . 'I can't think of a better corporate matchup than beer and the NFL,'says sponsorship expert Bob Dorfman, executive creative director of Pickett Advertising in San Francisco."

Excessive beer drinking leads to more men becoming out of shape by consuming empty calories. Ironically, this is happening as they're watching top-notch athletes perform.

Excessive Television Viewing and Emotional Depression
This is an excerpt from a web site called "Why Men Watch Football" and points to an issue I have long suspected: "The people in the stands become convinced their own lives rise and fall with the people on the field. Sometimes a whole city can be depressed on Monday. It becomes a real attachment."
This is sad. When playoff games are blaring, families are unable to join together to play board games or take long walks in the park. Teams who lose have fans who become despondent.

Lack of Patriotism
I believe the colors of our country are not being respected when they're used to showcase a team that used "Watergate-like tactics" to oppress an already down-trodden team - the New York Jets.

Treating Women Like Sex Objects
The remaining teams in the playoffs utilize cheerleaders who wear shockingly few clothes. The only solace here is the playoffs are conducted in mostly cold-weather - except for those stadiums that are domed and have climate control. These women, who probably know little about the game, have a negative influence on girls who will never be as pretty or athletic. Wives often feel inferior to the "cheerleaders" who destroy one more strand of our already fragile moral fabric.

So these are my reasons the remaining NFL playoff games should be banned.

For people who know me, this is based on my love for American society. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan who couldn't watch the remaining minutes of the Steelers-Jaguars game and was absolutely sickened when I discovered Jacksonville won.

No, not at all! Just because Pittsburgh lost doesn't mean I'm bitter. I just think for the good of our country, the health of our men and the respect for our women the NFL should be decent enough to ban the remaining playoff games.

I say, let there be playoff games in 2008-'09 . . . unless Pittsburgh doesn't make it (and Pittsburgh still doesn't have cheerleaders!).