[Editor’s note: I’m back! Like Calvin Pace, you can’t get rid of me that fast. I want to thank John, Dave, and David for stepping up big time in my absence, along with the rest of the staff writers. I also want to welcome and thank all of our new writers, and say that I’m excited to read all of your work. Finally, thank you to all of our readers, who I am confident struggled daily to get up in the morning while I was away.]
When I started dating my girlfriend (simultaneous #humblebrag and get away from her, she’s mine), she did not watch football, at all. She didn’t know the names of any football positions, so I had to start from scratch teaching her. As a side note, she now knows the positions, the J-E-T-S chant, and to yell "SCREW THE PATRIOTS" anytime I bring them up.
The first lesson was why football is great. I figured if I could show her that football is the best sport, she would want to learn more and go to games. So here is what I told her.
Football is a game of chess where the pieces beat the hell each other. It’s both individualistic and a team sport. It takes strategy, but at the end of the day, it’s about brute strength and speed. At the same time, it requires technical precision, so a perfectly executed play is beautiful to behold. Football is war, and every yard is a struggle, its own battle.
The game goes in short enough bursts so that it’s easy to follow, even if there are more things happening at any given point than you can pay attention to. Perhaps most importantly, nearly every game has jaw-dropping moments of athleticism that incite the raw emotion that makes the sport exhilarating to watch.
That’s why I love football. It’s a combination of the best elements of a number of different sports, and that’s why it’s worth watching. What do you think? Why do you like to watch football?