It's that time of year.

Leaves start falling, the air starts cooling and our wardrobe shifts from tank tops and shorts to jeans and heavy sweaters. Summer is slowly turning into fall, but that is not what I am here to talk about.

I am here to talk about football.

Ah yes, one of the most highly anticipated times of the year. Football season. Football is America's sport, some may say, and it is no joke.

You start with the buildup to the season. Training camps, recruitment, recruit reports and prospects.Then the NFL Draft, trades after the draft, players recovering from last season's injuries, new coaches, general managers and so on and so on. You have the marketing that goes along with football season, restaurants hosting games, superstores preparing and displaying all football game needs right when you walk in: all merchandise is magically everywhere you turn.

People start pulling out old jerseys, their past championship hats, some replace their old bumper stickers; flags pop up in people's car windows and outside homes. ESPN specials start airing, sounds bits are played and you are becoming immersed into football fully and wholeheartedly one day at a time.

The rivalries begin, bets are placed and parties are hosted.

Games are played and there are devastations and miracles. There are nail-biting plays, some make you stand on your feet, and there are some that you can't even watch. Each game is interconnected leading up to the finale in February.

Crazy to think that all this is only a speck in the whole scheme of things, considering I have only mentioned professional football. This also means football is starting ranging from middle school, high school, and college ball. I, too, am writing this before dressing up decked out in red, white, and blue to go to my high school football game. A game I have waited and prepared all week for and during the game, the smile never left my face.

Football has its controversies just like anything else. Being a New England Patriots fan, I have had to go endure scandals such as “Spygate” and “Deflategate”. I, too, have mourned over the injury of a player, an example being Tom Brady’s ACL tear in 2008. I have felt emotions I would have never thought I would feel over a game of football.

Through all this, we football fans, we stick with our teams. We support and cheer for them no matter the backlash or negative comments, and we enjoy every second of doing so.

I know what you may be thinking… “Football is just a game! It's not that big of a deal.” I understand fully these questions and comments, but it is an experience. An experience that is a part of something bigger, and much larger than you can imagine.

So go to your school football games, watch a game with your family, friends or even by yourself. Learn about the sport, learn about some players and their stories, learn about the history and have fun with it. Life is too short to not see what all the hype is about, right?

Football is coming, and you better be ready.