Are you ready for some Football ?

Pre-Seasons here, Training camp is in full swing. Two a days, playbooks, drills. The excitement is building.

Newspapers full of articles; player development, coaches, what the star player is doing, hopes for this season. Commercials are here; “Monday Night, Sunday Night Football”. Dundundundah (hum to the theme).

“Will the home town team win the Super Bowl this year ?” “Will the QuarterBack make a comeback from his horrific injury ?” “Is there residual effects from it ?”

Oh, the excitement ! Monday Morning re-caps, Tuesdays conference, weekly injury reports, highlights galore.

Sunday, oh beautiful, Sunday is here. My favorite shirt with the stars name on it. Tailgating, drinking, over -eating, face painting, the whole nine yards. The social connections made for the Gridiron battles.

Enter the Coliseum. The smell of the grass. There are the Refs with the shiny whistles. Thousands of people here to watch an epic battle. The air is abuzz with excitement.

Generals moving the troops in intricate lines of battle. The ebb and flow across the battlefield. Clash of Pads ! (BAM) The kicker, 43 yards to win the game. Time out. Psych the guy out. “What direction is the wind ?”

The snap, the ball is down. Here it comes………………………

Am I the only Heterosexual male who doesn’t give a fluck ?

Role model

Michael Vick, is there a more polarizing sports figure right now ? The media and the public are debating, with righteous indignation, whether or not he should be allowed to play football again.

“Should be banned for life”, “Back to the Ghetto” and “Not a role model at all” are just a few things I’ve heard on the radio alone. I haven’t heard this many people upset with athletes since…maybe O.J. ?

Not being a football fiend myself my pigskin knowledge is rudimentary at best. Golf and Tennis are my things. For me Football is something I will do in a social setting. I could care less who wins and I do not have a favorite team or player.

What’s comical and eerie at the same time, IMO, is the way people obsess with athletes. In particular adults. Enjoy the game but worshipping another man is …

It seems as though people and in particular, the media love to build an athlete up to be the second coming of the Messiah. At least until he or she pisses off some reporter. Then, these same reporters will climb mountains to find dirt, any dirt to tear them down.

Especially, the channel people watch to get their daily highlight fix. This channel has gone from the place for sports to the daily dirt show starring your favorite player. Self-righteous in their smug reports of alleged wrong doing. They’ve forgotten that you report the news but don’t become part of the story.

Anyhow, Michael Vick is an athlete. He served his time. If he can play let him play. Athletes ARE NOT role models.