I must have been about 7 when I went to my first football game. At that time I didn’t really understand the rules. And I was more interested in messing around with friends then the actual game. I could definitely feel an energy that I didn’t feel with other sports or events though. Maybe it was the smell of the popcorn? Maybe it was the fact the whole town was there? Maybe it was the pure excitement of the game. Maybe it was the band or the cheerleaders? Or maybe it was a combination of all of it. I really didn’t know. But I liked it.
As I got older, video games such as Tecmo Bowl and Madden Football taught me more of the rules. And gave me a better understanding of the game. I also started watching NFL games and enjoying it. And I myself started playing football. Starting with flag football. I really couldn’t catch very well. And I wasn’t by any stretch super fast. So they would line me up as a guard or defensive linemen. In flag football this was the equivalent of throwing a cardboard cut out up. Since we really weren’t allowed to do anything, but stand in people’s way. It kind of made me wonder if I really cared about the sport at all? Or if I would ever be any good?
As time went on I started playing junior high football. I still remember the day I got those pads and helmet. I felt like I had just gotten a suit of armor. And nothing was going to hurt me. This of course wasn’t true. I realized this very quickly. It still hurt. Just not as much. But I loved hitting. I loved causing chaos. It was an incredible release. But at the end of the day I some how always felt much closer to these people. Like we some how connected on a major plane that really couldn’t be explained.
Then I moved on to junior varsity. I started to get pretty good at chasing down the runner from the defensive line. And in my second year, I had earned a starting spot on the varsity. I even caused some turnovers and sacks. As well as a fumble recovery. In that one moment of recovering the football, I felt a rush that is hard to explain. To hear the crowd so loud at the end of it and know I was the cause, was incredible.
As I move on in my life I still love football. And in most small towns in South Dakota as well as across the nation, you can see the glow of the lights from miles. And I still wonder what it is about football that’s so special to these small towns?
What do I think it is? I think it’s people coming together to root for the home team. I think it’s the raw emotions pouring out, that at the end we can live a bit happier. And I think it is a way to show our differences, but show we are all the same without a care. I truly think football can connect people in a way that other sports can’t. Through a physical sport, we agree to disagree, and then shake hands.
So next Friday when you see the lights of the field, ask yourself what it’s about. The popcorn? The comradery? The love of the sport? Or is it something bigger? Maybe there is something deep inside football that has an answer to it all? Or maybe, it’s just fun.
Until next time.