Me and football

Football is an interesting subject in America.  Most people follow football, and watch it on a regular basis, and then discuss it with friends and coworkers for at least Monday.  Then there are people like me who "follow" the sport, but don't necessarily watch it, or care to discuss it at length.

I follow football scores for the Chiefs and the Big 12, and care very little outside of that.  I do not actually watch the games.  For the Chiefs, I would rather take a nap on Sunday or get stuff done.  For the Wildcats, most games are on cable, so I would have to go somewhere else to watch them.  I do listen on the radio occasionally, or follow the scores on Yahoo Sports.   I only know the names of 3-4 players on each team (Chiefs and Wildcats, not opposing teams).

I do not really know what it takes athletically, because I've never played football competitively on any level (grew up in Canada).   I can tell if someone makes a good play, but don't have tremendous appreciation for the effort the player made, or how much talent was necessary to make the tackle or the catch.  I just know it's a lot more talent than I have!

I sometimes have some trouble embracing football because it causes injuries often.  It is rare to watch a game without someone laying on the field, being looked over by trainers, recovering from a hit or an awkward landing.  I heard disturbing statistics about how running backs are not expected to live as long, and spend most of their later lives in pain.  When I have a son, I will not forbid him from playing football, but I would also not mind if he preferred something else.  That is because I don't want him to be the 20-something guy who is complaining about his knees.

Finally, I grew up as someone who was really focused on things that I perceived to be permanent or enduring.  And sports never came across to me as being life changing, or really relevant to my life.  That's just me, and maybe that is the thing that keeps me from being a sports nut - it could be totally different for someone else, it's not a right or wrong thing.

So, in summary I feel self-conscious about my lack of enthusiasm for football at times.  I am headed to Manhattan for a big game with 3 big football fans...so I somewhat feel like more of a passive observer among excited fans.  I try not to let a loss of a game affect my emotions, but sometimes it does to be honest.  The Chiefs lost today because of a poor officiating call, and I was very bummed about it, because it's not fair at all.  I think that about sums it up my thoughts about football, let me know if you have any questions!