I am a real sports fan. Track and field, baseball, hockey, women's basketball, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby, "real" football, and yes ... good old rock 'm sock 'm American style football.
For some reason I've been thinking a lot lately about why I love football. Yes, I played it aged 9 through 12 and in high school, ... even tried out (unsuccessfully) in college. No; my teams, for the most part, do not win a lot of trophies, Tulane, Northwestern, Miami University (not to be confused with the University of Miami) Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, J--E--T--S ... Jets, Jets, Jets. O.K. the University of Texas is an anomaly.
Part of it is the tailgating. There is nothing better than "out cooking" the other guys!! Part of it is the emotion within the crowd. While high school (my favorite) has the unbridled enthusiasm of teenagers, college has the energy of an entire town (in most cases) behind it. The pro game is a blur of speed, power, attention to detail and sheer will.
I grew up on Thanksgiving football in Detroit, even played a pee-wee game in old Briggs stadium at the half-time of a Lions game. But the reason I love football is that I think the coaches of the sport may, as a group, be the best coaches. I believe John Wooden, a basketball coach, is the best coach of all time, (the Sporting News agrees by the way) but football coaches get "the most" out of their players. Football coaches, I think, have more to do with effecting wins and losses than coaches (or managers) in other sports.
All coaches understand and teach technique and fundamentals of their sport, but football coaches help people learn to harness and focus their emotional energy, to strengthen an individual's intuition. Even though I've always rooted for Ohio State to beat The University of Michigan I have always respected Bo Schembechler.
Bo Schembechler is the author of one of my favorite quotes:
"Football is a sport that reveals the soul. You know who's tough. You know who works hard and you know who you can count on."
Oh, and don't forget, coaches take you to a place that you can not get to on your own.
Cheers
W2
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