To watch the NBA playoffs is to essentially freebase State Farm ads and—always read Judd Legum—it appears to be not quite as advertised.

Theory: the general trend of those broadcasts is super elite performance, NBA players putting on a master class in athletic brilliance.

Then it’s intercut with promotions for shoddy stuff—gambling, the latest fast food concoction, alcohol—that reliably moves you away from being like an NBA player.