Something rather odd and perhaps unconventional happened this past Sunday. I woke up early in the morning, got out of bed and went about with my daily routine. This morning however, like I said, was different from other recent mornings. When I looked out my window I saw a myriad of colors as well as countless numbers. The combination of these entities were weaving in and out almost like sort of distorted alphabet soup. To some people, the culmination of random numbers and bright colors could be a form of art. However, to me, this combination can only mean one thing: the beginning of football season.
For those of you that do not understand the imagery behind the above statement, it is a representation of the NFL jerseys that are worn by countless people of the street. The thing about football is that the love for it stretches further than the jerseys you wear or the teams you root for. Instead, to many, including myself, football is a way of life. When I say "way of life," I'm talking about those fanatics that they show in the chip commercials or national pizza chain ads. Well, those people do exist. Being glued to the television for three hours at a time is a weekly activity for many and yelling at the television for three straight hours is a weekly activity for many more. Wearing cheese on your head is quite common in Wisconsin. Dressing like a pirate is quite common in Florida. Randomly shouting, “Who dat!” is quite common in Louisiana. Trying to figure out what team to root for is quite common now in Saint Louis. And making deflation jokes is quite common in all states except Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
The reason why Americans do all of these things is unknown. Perhaps it is the way we were raised. Perhaps we follow what our peer groups do. Perhaps we just love seeing people get hit really hard by other people and support violence. Whatever the reason might be there is no doubt that the people who follow football are a community together. This goes for not only fans of the same teams, but fans of the game in general. Sure people who sport the same colors have a close connection. There is nothing better than tailgating right next to someone outside the stadium that is wearing the same jersey as you. You feel as if you have found your people. However, the fact that a Patriots fan and Jets fan can have a civilized conversation with each other shows just much of a community we are. Just this past Sunday, I had lunch in my Bills jersey alongside someone in a Patriots jersey, someone in a Saints jersey, and someone in a Vikings jersey. The fact that all of these different people can come from different walks of life and still unite under one common theme is astonishing to me. You could say the same thing about baseball or the same thing about basketball, but in all reality, football is the epitome of this topic. Nothing can compare to the thrill of NFL Sunday.
