Here I sit, the day before National Signing Day and I can’t help but wonder why we concern ourselves with something as silly as where a young man wants to go to college and play football. Even worse, it’s televised, blogged about and talked about for roughly a month, when the college football season is over and there are no more games to talk about. It’s all in-your-face coverage about what coaches lied to what player, and why so-and-so might decommit because some other school offered him a spot. There’s a lot of noise out there.

It makes me wonder, what happened to class? What happened to respect? What happened to couth? Not so long ago, cosmically speaking, there was a lot more respect and a lot less noise. Not so long ago baseball players hit home runs and looked embarrassed when ran the bases, because they didn’t want to show up the opposing pitcher. If they did celebrate, they were greeted with a brush-back pitch the next time they came to the plate. Just a few years ago sports were covered like news, instead of like an MTV video or small Hollywood production.  I realize this isn’t just an issue in sports, this is an issue regarding society as a whole. I’m not looking for answers. I’m just wondering.

Along the path of the last 100 years we’ve become more connected electronically, but more distant than ever before. The lack of respect for other human beings is sad. We no longer think much of flipping the middle finger to someone in traffic. I know I’m guilty of not even getting to know my neighbors. Why bother when I’m connected to people that share my interests online? The whole thing is silly and sad and I wonder if it will ever change.

Who’s to blame? I have some likely suspects:

Technology - The proliferation of radio, television and eventually the internet let to a “Me-first” culture. Andy Warhol was right, everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame these days, whether it’s on YouTube, the local news or a mention in the paper. We’re told to get ahead we need to sell ourselves. We set highlights to music so that we can promote the latest rock band. Me, me, me and the latest and greatest technology only makes it easier to promote our own personal agendas.

The Downfall of Mom & Dad – I was lucky, I grew up with a mom and a dad. Both of them gave a crap about me. They teamed up to make sure I didn’t get out of line. Sure, they might tell you that I was a good kid and didn’t cause a lot of problems, but that was directly a result of them (a little bit of fear and a lot of respect goes a long way). Others aren’t so lucky, so younger people that crave affection and attention end up doing anything to get what they want. Showboating comes naturally at that point.

The Almighty Dollar – One of the best and worst things about America is that it’s driven by the almighty dollar. If there’s a way to squeeze another few bucks out of something, an American businessman figures it out. Why do you think Tranformers are made out of plastic instead of die-cast? Some retired VP is rich somewhere because plastic was not only cheaper to produce, but also breaks more easily which means parents end up having to buy new toys for their children. How sick is it that the US Economy is based on how much we can consume?

Is there any one solution? No. Is there anything to be solved? Probably not. I’m sure I’m just getting older, so my perspective isn’t what it used to be. Maybe I should go get a rocking chair and yell at the kids on the street (if there were any that played outside anymore)? I just wonder what happened? What’s so bad about respecting your peers? What’s so bad about putting in a good day of work and going home for the night? What’s wrong with losing some of the snarky comments and being kind to one another?