Football: America's Cultural Obsession

Canada has hockey; America has football. The NFL has just completed it's 4th week of regular season play, and things are really heating up. I was talking with someone on the road this weekend about how much football is available for Americans to watch every week: there's Sunday Night Football on NBC, Monday Night Football on ESPN, a game or two on Sundays on Fox... and that's just the NFL! Saturday is chock full of college football games - I have friends who allow their whole day to be ruined if their alma mater loses a game.

Just for the record (and for any new readers) I am Canadian and hockey is my first love. However, I will admit that I look forward to the start of football season every year for the simple fact that I enjoy the cultural elements it produces. It's fun to relax on Sunday afternoon with friends and watch a game - the only times I can justify eating a hamburger are either Sunday afternoon or Monday night, depending on which night we're watching a game (the exception to that rule is when I'm in California - In-N-Out Burger is a must stop then!). And the best part of it is that my wife is a fan too - we can enjoy the games together.

So having said all that, this is some of what I'm following this year (and I'm talking NFL - there are too many teams in college football for me to keep track of, and I don't have any ties to ANY of them, so I'll just enjoy watching the upsets):

1. The Tennessee Titans: There's really two stories here I'm enjoying. One is Vince Young - he's the guy everyone's talking about and for good reason: he's just exciting to watch. He's been able to lead this young team to a better start than I think many of us had expected. The second story I've been enjoying with these guys is that of Jeff Fisher, now the NFL's longest-tenured head coach. I always respect a coach/athlete/pastor who can commit for the long haul - and Fisher has done that with the Titans and just recently agreed to another 4 years. Good stuff!
2. Brett Favre: I've been rooting for this guy for a long time. He's a great leader, well respected among his peers, and is nearing retirement (I'm pretty sure he's been toying with it the last couple of off-seasons). He comes back this year and starts out winning his first 4 games - at 39 years old. He broke a touchdown pass record too - and every time I saw him interviewed about it he would deflect the attention and talk about his teammates instead. Just classy - I hope this is the season that will allow him to retire on top.
3. Go Lions!

What are you following this year?

Comments

[Jon Lloyd]

I follow...

Green Bay Packers
Purdue Boilermakers
Phoenix Suns
New York Yankees
Vince Young

I figured I might as well throw basketball in there since it's right around the corner.

[Jody]

Baseball is my sport. I live and die with the Braves. I've laid in bed at night after a loss thinking of things they could have done to pull out a win.

On the football side, I am a Tennessee fan. While I do yell at the tv when they are playing poorly, a loss doesn't really effect me that much. On the NFL side, I love them Broncos, always have. I'm hoping to get to Denver eventually and see a game at Mile High. Like with UT, a loss just aggravates me.

As for hockey....GO FLAMES! Stanley Cup here we come! Definitely going to see them when they come to Nashville.

[Alan]

Over the past couple of years I've followed hockey a little more each year. I've become a fan of Colorado and Nashville, who actually play one another this Thursday. Big Paul Kariya fan so I hate that he left for the Blues, but I guess that's the business.

As for football, on the NFL side of things I'm a Jacksonville Jaguars fan, and on the college side I'm a Florida Gators fan. Currently living in Mississippi right now the big story around here is obviously Brett Favre,who's from MS, breaking the TD record and the struggles of the New Orleans Saints. Don't get much news about my Gators around here, but my son and I got to go see them live in action when they played Ole Miss in Oxford, MS a couple of weeks ago. That was cool.

Also with football season comes all the fantasy football stuff which is also fun if you have the time to play and keep up with it. It makes you pay more attention to the games from week to week in both college and pro, but it can be a little over bearing.

I enjoy football, but I'm not one of those fans to where if my team loses, I go into depression for a week. It's a game. You can't win them all and theres always another game next week during the season. There are more important things in life than my team losing, or winning for that matter.

Sorry for the dissertation.

[Carstairs38]

You like In -N- Out? I feel so sorry for you. (Yes, I realize I am one of the few who hates them.)

I'm not a sports person, really don't follow any sport. I only care if I am playing.

Having said that, I have felt like sitting down and watching some football this year. Not sure why. Haven't had the time to, either, so we'll see if it really happens or not.

Mark
PS, enjoyed the show Friday night.

[Paul J.]

My team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Falcons and the Saints in the basement, and the Panthers losing their QB, suddenly the Bucs are in first place in the NFC South.
Sadly, this past Sunday we lost "Cadillac" Williams for the season with a really bad knee injury.