A common misconception among people back in the U.S. is that we are not aware of what happens in the country’s major sports.

We are not swimming in a sea of chatter about what is going on in the NBA and NFL, and we do lose track of some of what happens back home (college sports, in particular), but we still get ESPN.com, and even some of its television programming.

And sometimes we even write about American sports (hockey, too) in The National, for the amusement and edification of our North American readers here.

Lije, for instance, the triple whammy that hit the NFL last week.

Peyton Manning signs with the Broncos, the Broncos trade Tim Tebow to the Jets, and Roger Goodell brings down the hammer on the Saints.

Wrote about all of that in this commentary for Monday’s editions of The National.

Three takes, and a trivia note.

–I believe Peyton Manning should have retired rather than move to another team. The whole of his career should have been with the Indianapolis Colts. Plus, after those four neck surgeries, isn’t playing in the NFL even scarier than before?

–Tim Tebow in New York will be interesting. His approach to life and New York’s “den of inequity” reputation … Clashes seem inevitable. Tebow must seem like an extra-terrestrial to New Yorkers. Also, don’t you feel as if Something Bad will happen to Denver for kicking Tebow to the curb after what he did to make them a national brand?

–The Saints and their system of bounties … I am convinced that Goodell came down so heavily on them because of the rising concern over concussions. Wasn’t it Troy Aikman who wondered, not long back, if the sport will survive this? I also am convinced that coaches have been suggesting forever that they wouldn’t mind if this or that opponent were knocked out of a game. The Saints seem to have made a bit too formal; and their timing was horrible. (And the coverup is what always gets you.)

And the bit of trivia. If you follow the link, check out the second paragraph. Has to be the longest sentence I have written in my nearly four decades as a journalist. That comes of re-reading too much Hemingway. Plus, it just seemed like a good place to do a sort of breathless recounting of the three events in one (deep breath) sentence.