Football
September 13, 2012 by Emily
Now, I am rather opinionated about some things. Shocking, I know. However, I have decided to change the way I think about certain activities and people associated with those activities and give them a little respect. And yes, this is random and really going nowhere. Keep reading… yes?
Football.
Yes. The entire sport of football and all football fans. Now, it’s not that I don’t like football. A younger me (and by younger I mean me yesterday) would say that football is rather stupid and the fans are rather annoying. However, I am a brand new person with a brand new outlook.
I realized that I mostly don’t get why other people like football. Obviously, I am simply ignorant. I have never really researched why others find football is appealing. Growing up I was unaware that people were, you know, obsessed with football. I mean sure, some years the Superbowl stole my birthday (February 5th by-the-way). I guess football was sometimes on TV at my house growing up. My dad claims he likes football. I have little evidence to back this up but that is what he says. I went to a Superbowl party every year when I was little but I can’t remember ever watching the game. I’ve always been aware the Minnesota Vikings existed.
I realized I was different when I moved away to college and into the land of Da Pack.
Suddenly, I wasn’t from Minneapolis but rather from the land of the Vikings. I realized I was different when people asked my opinion on Brett Favre (I added a link for those of you who don’t know the Favre) and informed me that we couldn’t hang out because A) I don’t like the Packers and B) I don’t like football. Okay it was more like, I’m sorry, I can’t hang out with you because I simply cannot stand the idea of wasting a couple of hours of my day watching football or talking about football. It was weird when class got canceled because Da Pack lost some ‘huge’ game or something.
From here on out I promise not to judge you when you tell me you are watching football. I might even join you. Why? Because I am going to get past my ignorance. I would like to be invited to some football game related events. I going to fully research this football appeal thing. I realize my no respect for football has prevented me from several, perhaps fun, social events in my life. Da Pack and Da Bears play tonight. Now, I can’t say that I am happy that football seems to be happening on a Thursday. Football already seems to have many days of the week – Friday (high school), Saturday (college), Sunday (pro), Monday (pro) – I like to keep my Thursday facebook feeds football free. But okay. I will respect all those who find this exciting. I am not saying that I will wake up at 6 am and start drinking or know the names of any quarterbacks. Heck, I can’t promise I will know the current scores for the game I am ‘watching.’ I probably won’t be able to ever contribute to a conversation about football. BUT I probably won’t run away at the mention of the f-word (that is football people). I might even take ‘self-declared football fan’ off my list of no-goes in a future romantic partner.
However, I will never ever respect this person:
Alright. Now this is the important part. What is appealing about football? Tell me. Is it the sport itself? Is it the history of the sport? Is it playing the sport? The food? The drinking? Family and friends? I’m serious. Why you love football in 100 words or less. Go.
Woooo Da Bears (I do live in Chicago now and I don’t want to… ya know… die.)
Xoxo,
Emily
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I realized I was different when I moved away to college and into the land of Da Pack.
Suddenly, I wasn’t from Minneapolis but rather from the land of the Vikings. I realized I was different when people asked my opinion on Brett Favre (I added a link for those of you who don’t know the Favre) and informed me that we couldn’t hang out because A) I don’t like the Packers and B) I don’t like football. Okay it was more like, I’m sorry, I can’t hang out with you because I simply cannot stand the idea of wasting a couple of hours of my day watching football or talking about football. It was weird when class got canceled because Da Pack lost some ‘huge’ game or something.
From here on out I promise not to judge you when you tell me you are watching football. I might even join you. Why? Because I am going to get past my ignorance. I would like to be invited to some football game related events. I going to fully research this football appeal thing. I realize my no respect for football has prevented me from several, perhaps fun, social events in my life. Da Pack and Da Bears play tonight. Now, I can’t say that I am happy that football seems to be happening on a Thursday. Football already seems to have many days of the week – Friday (high school), Saturday (college), Sunday (pro), Monday (pro) – I like to keep my Thursday facebook feeds football free. But okay. I will respect all those who find this exciting. I am not saying that I will wake up at 6 am and start drinking or know the names of any quarterbacks. Heck, I can’t promise I will know the current scores for the game I am ‘watching.’ I probably won’t be able to ever contribute to a conversation about football. BUT I probably won’t run away at the mention of the f-word (that is football people). I might even take ‘self-declared football fan’ off my list of no-goes in a future romantic partner.
However, I will never ever respect this person:
Alright. Now this is the important part. What is appealing about football? Tell me. Is it the sport itself? Is it the history of the sport? Is it playing the sport? The food? The drinking? Family and friends? I’m serious. Why you love football in 100 words or less. Go.
Woooo Da Bears (I do live in Chicago now and I don’t want to… ya know… die.)
Xoxo,
Emily
I wasn’t a football fan until I went to college. For me, I enjoy the tailgating (so much more than just drinking) and being part of a huge student body supporting one time. I think the comraderie is ultimately what won me over and I still watch to be part of it!
I think I need to experience this “tailgating” thing. I’ve never really been interested because I don’t really drink but from the comments from football fans, it seems there is more to tailgating than drinking. Hmmm.
Oh. Girl. 100 words or less? I’ll try to keep it under 500.
I’ll be honest: since I’ve gotten older, the #1 appeal of football for me is tailgating. I don’t like alcohol so I don’t drink, the atmosphere of a tailgate can’t be beat. It’s like Thanksgiving every. single. Saturday. (No NFL for this girl. I don’t like pro sports. College and high school are my JAM). You’ve got an abundance of incredible food, great company, and you’re all in a great mood because it’s time for FOOTBALL! Actually, tailgating is like Thanksgiving on steroids, because not only are you and your friends/family in a celebratory mood, but you’re surrounded by thousands of other people doing the exact same thing and feeling the exact same way. There’s nothing like the atmosphere of a tailgate. There’s a sense of solidarity that comes from tailgating, and, at its core, I think that’s what appeals to people about football and just sports in general. Whether you’re in a living room with one other person or Michigan Stadium with 100,000+ other people, you’re all united by a common sentiment: wanting your team to win. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know most of the other people in the stadium, because you’re all cheering for the same goal. You’re connected to the other fans, and there’s something remarkable about that feeling. It’s like going to a concert or running a race — everyone is there because they like the same band, everyone is on the course because they want to run. You’ve got something in common with a huge group of people, and that’s a pretty awesome feeling.
And if you ever decide you want to be a Michigan fan, you’re more than welcome to watch a game with me. Or, at the very least, watch my cares-too-much antics during a game
I’m with you on the no NFL thing. I can see myself starting to appreciate college football. However, my college didn’t really have a respectable team (University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse = joke). So the question now is what team? My first instinct is Minnesota Gophers because that is where I grew up. I think I’ll find a ‘Gopher bar’ in Chicago and do some people watching soon. Investigate the situation.
Haha I love this post, especially considering that I just posted about my love for the Pack.
I know football is not for everyone, but I love it for all the reasons you mentioned above: the sport, the history, the food, the drinking (ahem…I just really like fall beers!), and most importantly, the fact that my family and I enjoy watching together. I sort of feel like it’s something you have to grow up with and experience weekend after weekend in order to understand the appeal!
Side note: I bought a Packers winter hat last year and loved wearing it around the streets of Chicago to see how many glares I got.
Packers fans in Chicago are funny. My friend’s mom (from Sheboygan WI) was visiting and wanted to wear her Packers jersey around site-seeing and I my friend vetoed the idea : ) It takes guts.
haha this is hilarious. I like football just because getting together to watch a game is fun, people get all crazy and into it and I love that. I also grew up with a dad that loves all sports and especially football, so that helps too. And football is associated with fall and cooler temps, which is fantastic!
I sorta blame my dad for my non-football lovingness. He watched football and knows the statistics of teams and such but never really watched the games with us or anything. But yes, football = fall but I am still on the fence about how I feel about fall : )
I love football because my family loves football. I grew up watching Kansas City Chiefs games, or going to the game with my family and it was a great time to spend together. I also actually enjoy watching the sport, it helps to understand what’s going on, that way you’re actually interested in what the players are doing. Beyond that it’s a great way to hang out with friends, get a little friendly competition going if you’re on opposite teams, and have fun. GO CHIEFS!
I think perhaps part of the reason I’ve never liked football is that I openly and aggressively hate the Minnesota Vikings, aka my home team. So I had an ‘identity crisis’ of who I should like and just never found my identity.