Why I love football!

My friend came over tonight with her two adorable little boys. Both our hubbies are out of town and we thought it would be fun to survive the mealtime together, which it was. I asked he if she wanted a beer and I proudly pulled out my freezer mugs (so in love with these btw). I then asked her if she liked football. She said she watches it but doesn't understand it. She has watched it for years and nobody has explained it to her. Sad right?! I actually became excited because I wanted to teach her about the sport I love so much.

See tonight was a big game for my hubby, his family and me. We are all Bills fans. My hubby's family is from Buffalo, I am a fan by marriage. Seriously, it was part of our vows. "Do you promise to love, honor and be a Bills fan?" "I Do." And then, it went to him. "Do you promise to love, honor and be a Sacto Kings fan?" "I Do." There you have it. I am a Bills fan and I love it. We try to make it back for a game every year. We missed it this year but 2 years ago we went to the Monday night home game against the Cowboys. Heartache! Absolute heartache.

I told my girlfriend that we could watch the game tonight and I would try to help her understand it a bit better. She wondered how I came to love football. And that is the reason for this post.

I don't officially know the answer but I think the reason why I love football is because my dad and brother loved it. We watched it every Sunday and Monday night. And, there is also the fact that my mom is from Nebraska therefore I can name almost every pro Cornhusker from my adolescence. But now that I think of it, there are other reasons. I only had one day off a week from swimming, Sunday. There is nothing more kick back and fun than football Sunday. I looked forward to chilling with my family. Also, we were Niner fans in the 80's...what is not to love about that?! To go from Montana to Young with Rice in there the whole time. (and Tom Rathman....I could go on) I also love cheering for a team. Football is unlike any other sport in that respect. You get one shot every week (except for bye weeks) to cheer for your team. The season is fairly short and takes place when the weather is cold, rainy or snowy so you want to be inside anyway. Unless you are at the game and then what I love is everything. Tailgate parties, cold weather, crazy fans, load music, the entire package. But, at home, what really gets me are the familiar voices.

Al Michaels has the best football voice ever. And John Madden is the king. Their voices are so relaxing and familiar that it feels like home to me. I love football because it is America. I know it isn't "America's pasttime" but it is my favorite TV sport. I am so happy the season has started. As for my Bills, it was a very sad night. Once again, they lost a game they should have won. The season isn't long enough for mistakes like that.

My friend had to leave before we could review what I was teaching her. I think she might have been overloaded with too much info and too many kid questions but I know she will come back for more. She was excited to call her hubby to tell him she was having beers and watching the Monday night game. I might even be able to convince her to cheer for the Bills...maybe! :)