I long resisted admitting the obvious, but it is football, not baseball, that is the national pastime, and it’s not even close. In its origins, its pace, its violence, and its accent on offense (at least in the contemporary game), it is a most American sport. It crushes all other sports leagues in TV ratings. Nothing else generates the kind of water-cooler talk, and even the announcers and the analysts of the game are well-known. Heck, its draft is a huge event. And, of course, the Super Bowl has evolved into a great civic ritual, with well-established traditions. It is one of the few things anymore that we all watch and experience together. Enjoy the game on Sunday, and go Bengals!