If you didn’t know, the next few weekends have a lot of extra things happening on Joel Miller’s day. From the Grammys to the Super Bowl and the upcoming Oscars, there’s a lot going on.
And sometimes, it’s nice to be kind to someone. That’s why HBO shifted this week’s episode of The Last of Us to a different day. Football needs the help. If you don’t care about this thing we call the Super Bowl, you probably assumed this upcoming Sunday was just going to be another day with our favorite post-apocalyptic show and then we’d carry on with our week. But the more sports-enthused have probably been counting down the days until the Eagles and the Chiefs play each other.
Why? Because people love sports. Look, I grew up as an athlete. I was a gymnast, a cheerleader, and a softball player. But I don’t make it my entire personality, and I hate that fans of famous people are labeled as weirdos when people in this world make football their only interest. So when HBO announced they’re moving The Last of Us to a Friday release to avoid competing with the Super Bowl, I thought to myself, “Well, nice of them to be kind to the sport. It needs our help.”
On one hand, I am joking. I know that the Super Bowl is a big deal, but I also don’t care. Every year we’re all forced to care about teams whether or not they’re our favorites. I grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, so why would I care about the Eagles or the Chiefs? So I will instead believe that this move is simply HBO giving a handout to that little sport. Football does, after all, need all the help that it can get in this day and age.
Be nice to football
In my own life, my plans to watch this year’s Super Bowl were, well, zero. Even if I was going to be home, I didn’t want to watch it. I was going to watch The Last of Us and go to sleep early. Instead, I will now go and see Magic Mike’s Last Dance and then come home and … still go to sleep, not watching the balls of feet.
Other than commercials, some will probably tune in to catch the Rihanna concert or to actually watch sports, but that’s on them and their gods. This move just frees you up to watch this event and honor the football energy of the world instead of being torn.
But those who were split between their dedication to the clickers and their love of whatever sports team they want to root for this week are now free from that choice. Thanks, HBO! You’ve made it so the sports fans can just watch the M&Ms debacle unfold in real-time instead of stopping to see whether or not Joel and Ellie survive Kansas City.
You can now watch The Last of Us episode 5 two days early, on Friday, February 10. I’m just happy that HBO decided to be kind.
(featured image: HBO)
