How Important Is Football?

[Miss Cellane]

How important is it, to who? To me, not a bit, not the least. I actually get po'd from trying to shop and can't find help because they are watching the tv's or listening to "the game" on the radio. Then they have the gall to ask me what channel is "the game"on or grab your arm and scream excitedly, "did you see that?". You have your thing, I have mine, leave me the location alone.

What I find interesting is that stores are open more and more on holidays--many stores are opening Thanksgiving afternoon this year and staying open all night.

But they close early on Superbowl Sunday so employees can get home to see the game.

So, open on the holiday that gathers families together, but closed for football. That tells you a lot right there.

[Aqua Blue]

Not my thing either, I find it interesting that our society's heroes are people playing games(sports of all kinds) and people pretending to be someone else(actors). We don't have real flesh and blood heroes.

[kathryn]

Football is huge. Watching Brett Favre and my Green Bay Packers helped me through my divorce! :-)

[TxZen]

OK I love Football- college, professional and local, even pee wee. I am a sport fanatic, football being at the top of the list. For me, it's when my family and friends gather. We make yummy meals or snacks and make fun of each other's teams. It also brings back the few good memories I had of high school and going to the games- the warm apple cider and clam chowder and making friends from another school, putting on your jeans and favorite jersey and OH RAH RAH RAH my way on the sidelines. Good times.

[Packy]

How important is it, to who? To me, not a bit, not the least. I actually get po'd from trying to shop and can't find help because they are watching the tv's or listening to "the game" on the radio. Then they have the gall to ask me what channel is "the game"on or grab your arm and scream excitedly, "did you see that?". You have your thing, I have mine, leave me the location alone.
Now to the players I have met, the crews I know that work the stadiums, vendors, owner, etc. very important. I don't really have a problem when the ones telling the story played it, but I do when others live vicarously through them and try to make you think it is all important. I even found humor when our Christmas tree was broken by some players, reliving a bad end to a good game.
Not my thing.

Well said, Too Much S!!! I might throw in this: I go into the shop Monday after biking a Hundred-Miler in the hills on Sunday, and Those People who sat and ate Pizza and watched "The Game" the day before are praising and glorifying and raving about some high-dollar sports thug who ran 20 yards, stuck out his arm, and deflected a thrown pass. HE IS THE WORLDS GREATESS ATHLETE!!!!! 'cordin to them. It's stoopidball. The Wall Street Journal, awhile back, published the results of a study which found that in a 3-hour long televised football game, there is approximately 11 minutes, cumulatively, of play---- 5-7 seconds at a time. The rest of it is players standing around & commercials. I am not impressed--in a positive way, that is.

[Rogar]

Football pretty much doesn't exist in my life, so I'm neutral about it. It always seems to me like there is one football star or another that is in the news for domestic abuse, drugs, or DUI, which hardly seems like any sort of decent example for young people who often idolize them. But then again politicians who are our country leaders seem to have similar issues. Sort of seems like there is a void in the national hero department these days. I actually like to go out shopping or other errands during the big games as there is much less congestion.

[Gardenarian]

Football. I don't know how the game is played. Have never watched a game in my life. Don't feel I'm missing out on anything. So I'm going out on a limb here and say, not very important.
Don't people have books?

[Alan]

Don't people have books?

Sure we do. I read several hours a day, but I put it aside for 3 hours on Sundays.

[Packy]

I just read that the stock price for Domino's has gone up, primarily due to ever-increasing sales volume. So, the Pizza business would consider foo-ball VERY important. When I read a book though, which isn't but maybe two-three times a year, I don't want greasy fingerprints on it. That is just another good reason to abstain from pizza.

[Gregg]

I've always considered professional and some college sports (i.e. football, basketball and hockey, but not swimming and track) in general, and football in particular, to be the equivalent of the "circus" in the old Roman "bread and circus" method of keeping the commoners fed and and distracted and happy and out of the way.

My feelings exactly. Same with TV, much music, Hollywood movies, big pharma... I have no stomach for the celebrity athlete or really any other kind of celebrity who's fame comes from, well, being famous. I don't care what they do one second after they step off the field/stage/operating room. I have a good friend who said he did not want to attend an event with me because he was uncomfortable with all the requisite "small talk". I agreed and said that I got really tired of standing around and talking about sports. You'd have thought I just kicked him where it counts! Turns out sports are the new sacrament, every thing else is now small talk. Who knew?

All that said, catherine's Scarlet Knights will be in town for the first time in a week and a half to take on my Huskers. The game is at 11:00. We will fire up the biscuits and gravy around 8:00 and Bloody Marys at about 8:02 all at our tailgate that is 1 block from the stadium. I will be in the seats that my Dad first bought tickets for in 1957. I won't listen to any of the 100 or so talk radio shows providing analysis during the week before the game, read the breakdown of the game in the paper on Sunday or be in a funk for a week if we lose*, but for those few hours I will be decked out in red, will be a true fan and it will be a lot of fun. The Emperor will be pleased.

BTW catherine, if you travel to support your team let me know. Husker fans have a reputation for taking great care of visitors. I'll show you why.



*Of course I will call for the coach's head if we lose, but that's different.