I'd Like to Thank President Obama for This Win

They used to thank God, didn't they? Does this mean America has a new god now?

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Last night, after the Pittsburg Steelers narrowly edged out the Arizona Cardinals for their record 6th Super Bowl win, Steelers president Dan Rooney - handed the Lombardi Tropy at the microphone - opened with this: "I want to thank President Obama..."

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What exactly does Obama have to do with football? Did his presidential nod somewhow help the Steelers win the Super Bowl? Of course not.

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Now, don't get me wrong. I understand that Rooney and Obama are good friends - a friendship stemming from Rooney's vocal support for Obama during his campaign for president. And I also understand that this is a free country, at least for now, so Rooney can say whatever he likes, legally speaking. But isn't there such a thing as the right time and place for political shmoozing? Isn't there a limit, imposed by common decency, beyond which we leave politics aside and focus on our sporting endeavors (or whatever else we choose to occupy our lives)?

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Shouldn't the Super Bowl be free of a billionaire's vocal support for a Marxist schill?

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We're now thriteen days into the Obama presidency, and each new passing day causes me a little more worry. The hype isn't dying down as quickly as I thought it would. It's actually getting worse. I understand supporting Barack Obama. I really do. It's only human nature to reach for the candy instead of the Brussels sprouts, regardless which one is better for you. In another (but not far removed) metaphor, it's the same reason I almost never stop at the convenience store for milk on the way home, but will frequently stop for a Coke. We want what's easy, what's convenient.

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We want the candy.

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The trouble is, this country is now in the grips of Obama mania. It's scary. Seriously, I'm honestly very worried. When a whole nation falls so solidly under the spell of a single politician - when a whole people becomes so enraptured with one guy, one leader - that the winning football team thanks him for their trophy as if they only won it through his support and glorious permission, that nation is in serious trouble.