If someone were to ask, “When is the political season in our country?” What would be your answer?

Perhaps the best response would be another question: “When is it not the political season?

Political campaigns now seem to be an industry unto itself. They are money-driven enterprises. Mega amounts of money. We all know this, decry this, but that horse is long out of the barn. Out of the pasture, even.

The same can be said for sports enterprises. The seasons go on and on and on. Almost never-ending, especially in the professional realm. It’s now almost as bad at the college level. Long, almost never-ending, considering off-season expectations of the athletes. The high schools are not immune to this over-emphasis either.

Perhaps even more egregious is the youth-level — recreational, not scholastic — extended sports seasons. Regular season, post season, playoffs, travel teams, all-star season, and out-of-season season. There’s precious little time to just be a child, and to enjoy doing the things children once did before so much of their time was completely organized. Many mothers with several children spend much of their time transporting them from one practice or game to another. This goes on for months, with just one sport, let alone participating in multiple sports, some of which run into each other.

Whoever said sports had become the “opiate of the masses” in America wasn’t wrong.

And yet, you can visit various residential neighborhoods and seldom see youngsters out playing ball of their own organizing. Just having fun on their own. The exception would be young black youths playing basketball outdoors on municipal or apartment courts.

Then, of course, we have those young folks whose almost sole “activity” is using their smart phones, or whatever they are called. An addictive behavior, it would appear.

It would seem, perhaps, that we older folks have become a nation in which so many are captivated by politics and/or watching sports events. Or phone inseparability for our young, and not so young.

That’s just how it is.

I’d much rather read a book.