Football Fan(atic)

Crisp air.  Cool breeze. Clear blue skies. Painted faces. Pumped up players, crowd chants, packed bleachers and devoted fans.

Some of my favorite aspects of my favorite sport: Football. 

I love the camaraderie that football brings to its fans. I love watching the ball slowly, painfully, make its way down the field. And then the very next possession is a quick pass for a touchdown. The quarterback calls plays and reads the field like a general going in to battle. The running back swiftly and nimbly cuts through the defensive linemen as he works his way down the field, yard by yard. The cornerback, deflects passes and intercepts for game-changing turnovers. The refs and the coaches negotiate back and forth, and every fan in the stands offers their expert opinion on each call.

It is a virtuoso sixty minutes.

Whether college or pro, whether SMU, Texas, K-State, Michigan State, or the New England Patriots—I am a fan. My earliest childhood memories were watching Monday night football with my dad and brothers. The Patriots are our team...and historically, the Buffalo Bills, as well. Some of my favorite high school memories are K-State tailgates and games with my brother and family. In college it was SMU and Texas, and now I’ve added Michigan State to my repertoire of teams. I love my teams, all of them.

I love the energy and excitement of a football game. I can sit in the stands or watch on TV, either way, a day watching football is a day well spent. I love that, in my mind, football and fall are inextricably linked, and that I cannot imagine one without the other. I love watching the season progress, and just as the leaves change and the temperatures drop, so the rankings and the statistics of my teams are unpredictable yet inevitable.

Football is a way of life. A way to get through a long Monday and a way to spend an entire Saturday. When everything else in this world is turbulent and every news station is reporting the latest widespread devastation—by natural or political causes, the game of football does not change. Games are aired every week, and every team has a chance to redeem themselves, game after game. Every fan has the equal opportunity to revel in the unbelievable game-winning catch, and to commiserate with their fellow fans at a fumble that threw the game.

Whoever your team is, whatever league and division they are in, it is great to be a football fan.