Kicking Around Thoughts On Football

Sitting next to my Dad watching football is one of my favorite childhood memories. He was a true fan of the game. 

 To me, the best games were when it was snowing so hard you could hardly see where the ball was thrown. The blizzard conditions, the players' breath, and the white snow carpeting the ground made the event even more magical. 

 I didn’t understand the game back then, but sharing this Sunday afternoon ritual with Dad felt good, even though we were interested in different outcomes. 

 Still, it rarely took long to become impatient while waiting for a commercial so that he could answer another one of my inquiries about the game or life in general. Seven-year-olds ask a lot of questions. 

Nevertheless, those fifteen minutes were special times. 

When we both grew older, football talk was always easy between my Dad and me, even when other subjects were off-limits. We both followed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (geographically our closest team). 

Dad was watching with pride in 2003 when the Bucs won their first Super Bowl, though he still credited Tony Dungy, not Jon Gruden, for grooming the winning team. It was an exciting time for the “pirate" league and their fans.

 He would have been overjoyed with Tom Brady and the Super Bowl win in 2021. Somehow, I think he knows.

Dad’s birthday fell around the Super Bowl, so I grew up having a party to coincide with the event. This year, he would have been 89 years old. 

Super Bowl Sunday is still a cause for celebration and mass quantities of food in our house, no matter who plays in the game. If you don't like the game or the teams participating, there are always commercials, halftime shows, chicken wings, and spanakopita to enjoy.

The Buccaneers were an exciting team this year and made it to the playoffs, which no one, including myself, thought was possible without Tom Brady, at least not this first year on their own.  

We now have Baker Mayfield. Isn’t that the best name ever? What a perfect protagonist name. Without knowing the plot, you must root for anyone with a name like that to win all the marbles. 

Mark my words: they will make it all the way to the Super Bowl next year. 

But I digress.

Even if I can’t sit still long enough to watch an entire game, football has been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember, whether watching TV or playing in the front yard with my brother and the neighborhood kids.  

My favorite parts of the game are:

 1) A seemingly impossible catch and a long run to the end zone. Nothing is better than a bunch of men in different color uniforms chasing after someone uncatchable. 

 2) When the runner is the quarterback, that warrants bonus excitement. (If the runner’s first name happens to be Baker, that calls for Hootin’ and Hollering) 

3) Interceptions (as long as they are made by my team versus what happens to my team) 

4)  Two-point conversions. They are out of the norm. You have to love it when it materializes.

 5) It's a nail-biting game till the end, especially when your team comes out on top. 

Besides bringing family and friends together around the big screen TV, what I appreciate about football is that all thirty-two teams and hundreds of players that made the cut start at the exact same place. 

September starts game number one for everyone. 

It is the very first time, again. Any wins or losses in the past no longer matter. It’s all about now—this moment. 

It's not a bad philosophy for many events in life. 

Despite arguments that all players do not possess equal natural talent, all teams have equal opportunities to win the Vince Lombardi trophy, at least in the beginning. 

Time will tell. 

After six months of weekly games, the top two teams are chosen. Then, the holy grail... the Super Bowl showers the best team with ticker tape, awards them a trophy and ring and offers them a trip to Disney until the next football season when the playing field is level again. 

It's a little bit like the movie “Groundhog Day,” I suppose.  

The new season represents another opportunity to improve, gain more discipline and resilience, learn new skills, and work well with others so that you and your team can achieve your dreams.

Human perseverance is what inspires me about the game of football. 

You may be right if you think football is just a boring game where grown men kick and throw a ball back and forth, sprinkled with some aggression and violence. 

But the next time you have a chance to watch a game for fifteen minutes (preferably with someone you love), perhaps you will think of this post. 

 I hope you will be reminded of your dreams and know those players also reach for theirs.

Let’s cheer them and ourselves on. 

Touchdown!

Thanks for reading!

Keep smiling!

xx