Do not bend the knee to the NFL

I must take responsibility for not double checking the time of Sunday’s concert at the San Diego Symphony. I along with about a dozen or so others assumed that the concert started at 2 p.m. just like every other Sunday concert I’ve been to.

I arrived at about 1:30 p.m. to find something of an abandoned lobby. Hmm...this concert was supposed to be almost sold out. Maybe I’m earlier than I thought.

As it turns out, I was late. The concert started at 1 p.m. — because of the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl? What the...

Here I was, looking forward to being countercultural by eschewing the Super Bowl in favor of the Symphony and the Symphony betrayed me. They bent the knee to the NFL. This isn’t even an NFL town anymore!

Concerning the topic of selfish and immature, the NFL is the epitome of selfish and immature and I’m not talking about the players. I think anyone who has followed the Chargers’ exodus of shame knows of whom I speak.

The Super Bowl? Really?

I get it. I get it. I mean, all the symphony attendees would have been livid if they were forced to miss Lady Gaga’s halftime performance because of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.

Hold on a second. Doesn’t everyone DVR the first half of the Super Bowl anyway — so as to skip the advertisements?

I should admit that I have become used to the idea of skipping the Super Bowl. For years the San Diego Opera had a Sunday matinee on Super Bowl Sunday, so I’ve become accustomed to watching the second half of the game.

This is all in good fun. I, as mentioned, did not double check the time of the concert and that is where the issue lies. However, any excuse to go on a semi-rant is always welcomed by the likes of me, and I will use this opportunity to reiterate that the San Diego Symphony has a better product than the NFL.

There is no discussion. Long after the NFL goes out of business because of head trauma lawsuits, Tchaikovsky will still be stirring the emotions of millions of people.