Why Is The “Jake From State Farm” Commercial Still On The Air?

I’ve been watching college basketball on TV lately. That means one thing: I’ll see the “Jake from State Farm” commercial another dozen times or so. What pitiless person keeps running that ad during every bit of sports programming on broadcast television?

This commercial has been on the air for years. Why? Why? It’s a very weird storyline. A sweaty, shifty-eyed, whispering guy is calling State Farm at 3 a.m., apparently to get a quote. His suspicious wife thinks he’s calling some trollop or phone sex service, so she seizes the phone and hears the voice of Jake from State Farm — who says he’s wearing khakis.

Are we supposed to think the wife is a shrew? Because I actually sympathize with her. Why is her husband disturbing her sleep by calling for an insurance quote in the middle of the night? Why is he acting so secretive? I’m betting she has good reason to wonder about his whispered phone calls.

So, I repeat — why has this commercial been a staple of sports TV for years? It’s not funny. Maybe it appeals to guys who feel hen-pecked? And what’s supposed to be our takeaway about State Farm? That it keeps a call center staffed with beefy salesmen at all hours of the day?

It’s time to retire “Jake from State Farm.” Please, I beg you — let sports fans watch a game without being exposed, again, to this sordid family tale!