That's a lot of shoveling, you betcha.

The roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis collapsed under the weight of about two feet of snow, cancelling the scheduled game between the Vikings and Giants. This video looks like it was produced by Pixar, but it's actual surveillance camera footage:

That's an awesome sight, and it's fortunate that it didn't happen during a game. Can you imagine the panic that would ensue? Maybe Pixar can put some people in the stands and show us what would have happened. The snow wouldn't hurt them, but several would have been killed by the mob trying to get out.

What's even more amazing is that it has happened quite a few times, leading me to wonder why they'd build a dome that they couldn't heat to keep the snow from building up? The roof looks like some kid flipped a wading pool over a refrigerator box and decided to call it a stadium. I bet you couldn't get the local building inspector to approve an inflatable roof for your house, but they can keep 60,000 people in a stadium covered with one.

They cancelled the game, of course. They claim they couldn't play with the roof like that. I suppose. Although, proponents of the game often call the players "warriors." What better test for a warrior than to play under life-threatening conditions? I guess they're just football players. Real warriors would have said, "Fuck the roof. Tee it up, ref." Players today are pussies.

Meanwhile, in Chicago the Bears and Patriots are playing in near-blizzard conditions, and nobody thought of moving or cancelling that game. It sure makes for interesting football.

The first thing I think about in situations like that is, "what if I had a ticket to the game?" I couldn't imagine being stupid enough to stand outside for 4 hours in those conditions watching something I could see at home on my television. But 60,000 or so did just that, and it makes me question the basic intelligence of the general public.

We have our standards, however. We'll camp out for a bargain on Black Friday and stand in inclement weather for our favorite sports teams. Which is odd because, if someone said they would give you 80 dollars to stand out in a blizzard for 4 hours, you might do it, but you'd be thinking about it two hours in. Fans pay that for a football ticket and stand there without regret.

Football requires that sort of determination. Other sports cancel events when weather conditions make it the least bit uncomfortable to play. I suppose that makes football more of a manly game? Either that or they're too stupid to come in out of the rain.

It's a shame to get all those people together and deny them one of their games. NASCAR events are postponed frequently, and I picture the phone calls to their jobs asking for another day off on Monday. The Vikings game was moved to Detroit, and I wonder how they're going to sell tickets? Suppose some crazy Vikings fan wanted to drive the 691 miles from Minneapolis to Detroit? I guess he'd get there and find his seat was taken.

And I'm sure you'll read at least one story about some Vikings fans who will make the trip. I don't understand that crowd either. I suppose their work schedules are flexible enough that they can decide less than 24 hours early, to take a day off work. Maybe the Monday NASCAR and football crowds should tell us which people in society aren't that important. If they can take a casual day off work on a Monday, what vital work are they doing?

And yet they go. They sacrifice sleep and their personal comfort to watch strangers play a game. Most of them wouldn't cancel a dentist's appointment to see their kid in the school play. We have strange priorities. Occasionally, someone floats the idea to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a legal holiday. That Sunday is seen as some sort of near-religious event that mandates people attend a party and gamble. So naturally, the day after that should be a legal day of rest.

Unless, of course, they postponed the game.