Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Football

We are not a football family. There, I’ve admitted it publically. It’s not that football is prohibited on our television, it’s just that, for the most part, there is usually something else on we’d rather watch. As we are a “racing family” some form of auto racing is invariably on the tube live or streaming from the DVR. As we are God-fearing, flag-waving, apple-pie-eating Americans we do watch the Super Bowl every year. Well, of course we do, that’s when you see the best commercials!

And, hey, if a football game breaks out, all the better.

With my job co-hosting a couple of different sports programs on Internet radio, I try to keep an open mind about all sports, especially football.

I read the sports section of the newspaper (we still get one of those things that has newsprint), watch Sports Center when I get around to it, and try to glean information from water

cooler talk I happen upon, but that is rare as I work from home and don’t have a water cooler nor do I know anyone in my family who watches football or any other sport religiously besides auto racing.

If you are still reading this you are either a non-football fan like we are or you are so curious in a train-wreck sort of way that you are compelled to read to the end. You see, we just don’t get it. My husband and I recently debated why football is seen as such a popular sport in the United States of America and, although I prepared a valid list of reasons, we still don’t really get it. I rattled off things like Monday Night Football (MNF) coming into the mainstream at a time when there was only network television; a captured audience for what was already taking off as a beloved sport.

Breakout stars like Joe Namath on the field, the Dallas Cowboy

Cheerleaders on the sidelines, and Howard Cosell in the broadcast booth, helped put MNF in the

number one spot in the ratings where it stayed, to my knowledge, for its entirety. I relayed to my husband that where we live in northwestern NJ, although hugely populated with football fans,

was not indicative of places like the South and the Mid-West when it came to loyalty and fandom. We talked about the social aspects of the game (tailgating) and the barbaric fighting mentality



as well. But even though my husband relented that I was preparing a strong case, we both still weren’t convinced nor do we understand how the sport of football is a sport that makes people, a huge portion of the population, so impassioned.

I ask you, the lot of you, to tackle this question. If you are a football fan, you bleed your team’s colors, and your wardrobe features nothing but your team’s logo, please enlighten us. We are not unwilling to listen and learn; we’re just baffled. Help.

5 comments:

  1. I am with you and Racer. I don't get it either. After a long summer of fast cars, football is Soooo ssslloooowwwww. Too many rules to try to learn. **sigh**

    Oddly enough though, I try to catch a few college football games. They have a different atmosphere and energy of school spirit that makes the games bearable to watch.

    Please, football fans, I join Chief & Racer in their quest to understand why football is so great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well I like to see any well matched competition. While there are alot of rules there are 10 or so basic rules that tend to the game
    Now football is the sport of autumn rain or shine! All the others tend to be summer or winter with fall as a footnote. As with racing or baseball, basketball or hockey the more intricate ones understanding the moreyou see the strategy, fitness and discipline of teams and the drama of the matchups. Football (also) rocks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Football is a simple game. A battle of field position. Every play is a collision at the line of scrimmage. Hoping to push 11 men to the first down marker, only in hopes of doing it again, until you reach the endzone. 300 pound men chasing a 200 pound guy in order to stop him from finding the wide open receiver down the field. Getting up when staying down would be so much easier. Not only am I tougher than you, but smarter too. Lining up and saying you know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to do better than you can. Handing the ball to one guy and out running 11 is a crazy thought. It is only played once a week which makes every win and every lose count. I have season tickets to the Broncos and I never feel more at home then when I see 80,000 people who feel the same as I do. If a Raider fan had a flat tire in the parking lot, yes I would walk past instead of helping. But if it was a Broncos fan I would see if they needed a ride home or even to work the next day. Playing Monday morning quaterback. Whats a matter with Tim Tebow? Oh, Tim Tebag? Hes A Bum!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am not sure your playing the game with the correct shape ball to start with, over here we play the game with round balls and at World Cup level it can be a mildly entertaining game, but being German I would say that wouldn't I :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. As expected, Bill has the best answer so far. Anyone else care to chime in?

    ReplyDelete