As some of you may know, my college education dollars went to the University of Oklahoma. But before I was anywhere near college-aged, I was a huge OU football fan.

Living in and working in Norman means I often get to see OU football players and coaches out and doing their thing. And each year, right about this time, I get to see just how powerful the American drive to "uber-consume" really is.

Over the last two weeks, I've seen two now-graduated football players step up and purchase 2007 Cadillac Escalades. Sticker price on these babies? Somewhere in the $60k to $70k area. Throw in the shiny aftermarket wheels, tint, and other accessories, and both guys blew through the $70k mark easily.

I don't know how NFL-draftee-pay things work, honestly. What I do know is that the NFL draft itself won't happen until the end of April. So, courtesy of their agents, have these guys had their heads filled with "guaranteed" huge dollar signs?

While they were both good players at the collegiate level, I don't see either of their names on any Top 100 draft lists. Seems to me there's a pretty large risk being taken here. It makes me shake my head, for sure.

We've all seen the staggering paychecks doled out by the NFL, NBA, and all the other three-letter, professional-sports leagues. It's just in my nature to question how smart it is to spend cash you don't already have. And, for that matter, to spend large sums of cash based on a potential career in something as iffy as professional football. (Or maybe these guys do already have the cash, and I'm just ignorant on this topic. That could be the case. NFL players are unionized, after all.)

In any case, I find it to be a stark reminder of just how powerful the consumption mentality is in this country.

Get your bling. And get it as fast as you can.