Bread and Circuses.

 "...films, football, beer, and above all, gambling, filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult."

So sayeth Mr. Orwell, and so quoteth the hypocritical Okie prole.

Eh, whaddya gonna do? Empire is a hard thing to hang on to, and as the crumbling remains of its once-proud institutions slowly circle the drain, the production values of distraction must go ever-higher to compensate. So I guess you might as well enjoy it. After all, it was a helluva game...