Ahh, football season: the best time of the year. If you are from the South like me, chances are, football plays a big role in your life. In my case, my family watches any and every type of football: high school, college, and NFL -- the most important being college, of course. In my family, football goes generations back. My dad, uncle, and brother all played from recreational league to college.
For myself, the obsession started when I cheered for a recreational football team in elementary school. My father was one of the coaches and my brother was one of the players for the team. I began to love the game of football. I loved the cheering, the intensity, the fans and most importantly, the cute boys. From then on, I developed a passion for understanding the game of football.
Throughout the years, I got to experience football second-hand. From going to every single one of my brothers Friday night high school games (literally every single one) to waking up on Saturday to watch SEC football for hours on end. From riding with my parents to drop my brother off for morning workouts to tailgating any chance we got. And the list goes on and on.
I am lucky to have been raised by a family who adores football. These experiences have taught me that football is way more than just a sport. Whether you cheer for your high school alma mater, the Crimson Tide, the NY Giants or even those Vols up on Rocky Top, it's way more than just the rivalries that make football special. Football teaches you teamwork and endurance. Football brings families, communities and even states together. Most importantly, football teaches you to have faith, even if the odds are not in your favor.
Although I was never the one on the field (even though sometimes I wish I was), I have still had an emotional connection to football unlike I have had with any other sport. There is nothing quite like being decked out in your favorite team’s colors and screaming your heart out from the stands for the players. From Friday night lights to college football Saturdays, I think we can all agree that the autumn breeze and the boys of fall bring out the best in everyone.
