Welcome Back, Old Friend

So, around this time every year, I get a little voice in my head that starts composing blog posts. Three years ago, I started thinking about football and women and how the NFL largely ignored the female demographic. So, whereas I used to write about the shenanigans that happened in my daily life, I switched it up and started writing about football. And, if we are perfectly honest, my blog about pumps and pigskins got really really dry. Like stale toast dry. Like overcooked chicken for the 55th day in a row, dry.* So, I lost interest and called it good. I was telling my huzzzband** this, and that I still missed blogging. But now, my shenanigans are really not worth writing about and I didn’t think pumps and pigskins was interesting. He suggested that the reason I probably lost interest with this blog is because I was just posting stats and facts. Which, frankly, are things people can get from much better sources – there’s an entire television network dedicated to doing just that.

With those things in mind, I thought I might sit down and try to describe why I love the game. If you want stats and facts, well, try the Google. I am going to use this blog to be my usual snarky self, chat about Sunday Fundays and what’s going on around the league, and fashion. Because…pumps AND pigskins.

Anyway, I <3 football. I love watching it, I love talking about it, and I love trash talking with people who have the sad lot in life of being Bears fans. I mentioned it before, I started watching back in high school. Back then and through college, I was strictly watching the Packers. I wouldn’t watch the rest of the games because really? Who cared? I had a ton of homework to do and it’s not like I was responsible enough to get it done the rest of the weekend. (Hey! Those Boone’s Farms and B-52 shots weren’t going to drown themselves!) It wasn’t until after I started being a real adult that Sundays became Sunday Fundays. I started watching Bears games in addition to Packers games…for two reasons. One, because I couldn’t always get the Packers game in Chicago and two, because I needed more ammo for making fun of Bears fans. The final addition that took me from mere mortal to Football Goddess was when I and my girlfriends started going out every week. By then I was paying attention to the Packers, the Bears, the Browns, and to a lesser extent the Chargers. When we started our own Fantasy Football league, well then I just knew more specific stats about individual players regardless of team.***

When I’m watching the game with a hyped up crowd of people, I feel energized. It is electric – to put it in the girliest of terms, it’s like that feeling you get when you’re at a Beyoncé concert. Except sooooo much cozier. Also? It’s like the great equalizer. It helps introverts and extroverts, hipsters and meatheads, and girls and guys all have something in common. For three hours (or 12 if you’re going in for the entire day); everyone is talking about the same thing. You’re all cheering (or jeering) together; and without the heavy weight of the entire nation on your shoulders like you get in the Olympics.**** It’s like getting together for an awesome low key party once a week.

Even when I’m not out watching the game, there’s still bonding with people on social media – friends and family out of town and social media, obvie, about the game. We are all escaping to a little party where we are all on a rollercoaster of emotion together. Although you’re alone, you still get to feel like you’re at the festivities. How awesome is that?

It’s that social interaction, that party, that I love. Football is an open invitation to the biggest party of the year, every single week. And opening weekend (and rival weekend!) is sort of like going to that biggest party of the year, except it’s December 31, 1999. (At least, what I imagine that party looked like since I wasn’t old enough to go to the good parties yet). I'm sure there's some sort of connection to not being invited to those parties when I was in high school, but WHO CARES?! It's football and it's awesome in the here and now! And that’s why I love the game.

Welcome back, NFL.





* can you tell I’m in the midst of trying to lean out?

** say it in Sauuuunnnndraaahhh voice. And then give yourself 2 points if you can name the show in which Saundra appeared.

*** pro-tip. Fantasy Football helps you sit through games about which you would otherwise careless.

****shout out to Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, Michelle Carter, and the women’s track team!!!