Who is this guy?
Apparently there’s a major sporting event planned for this evening. I’m not sure where it’s being played. I could Google that, sure, but it would undercut the theme of this post. Which is: Why I no longer give a damn about professional football.
When we lived in Philadelphia, I was excited about the Eagles. Watched every game, knew enough about the players to curse Terrell Owens with my barber, say, or people in the checkout line at WaWa. In Kansas City I was a Chiefs fan, even though they seemed never to win. While in Montana, it was the Seahawks, even though pro football had about as much relevance to Big Sky country as jai alai.
I guess I cared in those places because other people did too. A passing familiarity with pro football seemed to provide a bit of camaraderie no matter the situation. It gave people something to say besides, “well, I got to get going.” And for a shy person, it’s good to have a couple of conversational gambits in reserve, to minimize those awkward moments spent remarking about the weather or staring at one’s shoes.
Here in Wichita, Kansas, there must be some people who are crazy about pro football. I occasionally see them running around in Cowboys apparel, or sporting a Chiefs hat. But people rarely talk about it. It’s almost as though it’s not that important to them whether one profitable corporation defeats another. I’m sure folks here have Super Bowl parties, but I suspect it’s mostly just to have a party, as opposed to marshaling enthusiasm for a particular outcome.
Because nobody else cares, I don’t either. Two entire football teams, and I can name a single player: Peyton Manning. I don’t know who they beat to reach the Super Bowl, or what off-the-field drama might influence the outcome of tonight’s game. I can’t tell you who won the big game last year, either, and certainly not the year before that. Somewhere between here and Philadelphia, pro football vanished from the radar. When the big game airs tonight, the TV at our place will probably be tuned to reruns of “Wife Swap.”
Too bad, really. There are times when I kind of miss it. February needs a holiday, and Valentine’s Day doesn’t quite cut it.
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Say it ain’t so. Oh wait, you already did …
Which greedy bastards do you support?
Interesting. I’m a Steeler fan personally, and it was just odd not having anything at stake in the playoffs to watch, but that aside: during what time period do you feel pro football “vanished,” lost its luster, became irrelevant, etc?
Pro football lost me as an ardent fan with the league’s most recent expansions and switcheroos. (The Baltimore Ravens playing the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs? Just couldn’t wrap my head around that.) There are simply too many teams to follow, and they’ve all gotten too darn, well, professional. Very neat, tidy and precise. I haven’t watched a game in recent years that I haven’t thought, “It’s just a job to these guys.”
I fell in love with college football while living in Columbus during the Woody Hayes golden era (before he starting punching out opposing players). Several of those Rose Bowl Buckeyes were drafted by the Chiefs the year I moved to Kansas City — shortly after the Chiefs’ only Super Bowl win — so I started following the Chiefs. Rabidly. My allegiance began to wane primarily when the players I was so familiar with started retiring and Hank Stram got the boot. So it was particularly heartwarming to watch Len Dawson present the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday. I’ve still got my No. 16 Chiefs jersey around here somewhere …
Very well said. For me, the most interesting thing about pro football was the personalities and fortunes of the coaches and players on a team. When you realize that it is only a job to them, that it’s only about the salary and not the city — it’s harder to maintain enthusiasm.
Still, I’m glad the Saints won the Super Bowl. That city can use some good news, even if it is kind of artificial.