I love the sport. It's physicality, it's violence, it's grace. I love it all. Football is such a phenomenon in America right now, even though the sport has been around for over 100 years. It crushes TV ratings, merchandise sales, and for all intensive purposes, seems to make us happy. I have no idea why at times. Sometimes I see the sport as possibly other cultures might, that it's just large, extremely fast men, running into each other as hard as possible.
But I also know the sport from what I've experienced. Starting with my first legitimized practice in the eighth grade.
When I first strapped on the pads it just felt different. Like I could march into a field and battle, do it amongst my peers, and then prove something about myself. I could find my niche. When I put on that uniform, I was no longer my civilian self, I was ready to take the mantle of a hero. I was ready to be something more than flesh and blood, when I put on that suit, I wanted to be a legend.
I don't know for sure that this is how everyone feels when they put on those pads. Maybe for some a baseball uniform does the trick, others basketball, or (God forbid) soccer. The first moment always seems to be the best. It's new, it's fresh, and full of opportunities start.
Then practice begins. And the initial skill levels become apparent. Some are fast, some slow, some strong, some weak. Tall, short, skinny, fat, everything in between. We are everyman. In this moment, this first moment, we are all here. And what's more, there is a place for everyone. Big guys to the line. The fast guys to the outside as receivers. The best athletes typically at quarterback, running back, linebacker.
As drills are performed, races run and lost, we begin separation. Some will no doubt be left behind (at least figuratively) and though they may never played a down, they still understand the lure of the sport of those that continue to play, some wishing they still did.
As I moved along, I found more and more nuances to the game. I found that speed and hand eye coordination were far more valuable than strength or size. That understanding the game including what the other player is attempting to accomplish on a specific play will give you an edge. Down and distance always matter. The clock, always matters.
I loved the struggles, the battle, the competition in every play. Unlike other sports such as basketball, soccer and hockey, footballs single play system allows for one team to momentarily lose, and then attempt to pick itself back up. The realization will set in that 'I just got beat' and you must recover mentally and physically. And if you do, the euphoria is unlike any I've ever really experienced, as though I fell while climbing a mountain, only to later run up to the peak and then claim it as my own.
The effort needed to perform in this sport is unique. At times, it's brute strength, others speed, technique, intelligence. It's an all encompassing sport. I cannot help but admire the ability of Peyton Manning, to not only throw a football, but to understand when and where to throw due to his reading of a defense. Likewise, I am in awe of the physical attributes of a Michael Vick, who can seemingly jog faster than 80% of humans can sprint.
It's an all encompassing sport, for the mind, the body and soul. It's America at it's purest. And that in all likelihood is why it makes us happy.
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