Just a Game
A Sunday night in January and the Patriots are rolling into the Super Bowl. Who would have thought? Besides everyone basically every year. (I just feel like writing something quick about football so indulge me for a minute.)
One thing that struck me about watching the two league championships today is just how nice it is to watch football without caring about the outcome. Everyone knows that football is a great television sport — probably the perfect television sport¹ — but I find it especially great when you can just drift in and out of watching/listening while you’re doing something else.
That’s obviously not the case for me when Michigan is playing college football. I care so deeply about it that it’s honestly a little absurd. Stepping outside myself for a moment, I’m not sure why I care so much. But I know that when the Wolverines lose, I’m devastated for several hours, if not days, depending how bad the loss is. When they win, I’m elated and elevated beyond reason. Objectively, it’s strange.
While I attended Michigan, that was well over a decade ago at this point. I don’t know anyone still there, let alone anyone on the football team. So there’s no real personal connection. There’s a natural affiliation — everyone wants their alma mater to do well — but my feelings go beyond this, and I’m not sure why other than habit (and maybe a bit of pride/angst tied to just how vocal I am about it — sorry, Twitter, but not really!).
Watching professional football is easier because I’ve moved around so much (helped by the fact that my hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, have been so bad going on two decades at this point that I’m almost guaranteed to never see them on a nationally televised game). The 49ers went from great — Harbaugh! — to a total train wreck of an organization in record time. It has been depressing to watch that — it’s one thing to always be bad, it’s another to be so close to greatness and then watch it be killed through mismanagement.
The flip side is that I basically don’t care now about watching any pro game until the playoffs. I stopped playing fantasy football years ago because I would get too into it. I thankfully only gamble on games if I happen to be in Vegas. And, if I stop to really think about it, I have some serious reservations about what football does to the men who play it.
Anyway, just some thoughts, observations, and reflections about my relationship with football. I like some of the storylines behind the games. I like that it’s a good icebreaker when talking to other people at parties. And I like casually watching it just to see great acts of athleticism. But overall, I feel like it’s a lot healthier to care less. It’s just a game, after all.
¹ Well, beyond the other futbol, which isn’t stopped every three minutes for eight fucking minutes of ads. I’m still waiting for soccer to fully take off here. It’s even better to casually watch. A more beautiful game.
