I was a junior in high school out to eat with a big group of friends. Half of the table was chatting about the latest gossip while the other half was a group of guys discussing the games from last weekend. I joined the football conversation.
He didn’t take me seriously and tried to argue about it. I could have reacted in a million different ways, but I just said “all right.” I don’t know if he didn’t respect me because I was a girl or maybe he was embarrassed because his friends were there. Regardless of the reason, he shut me down. He created a divide between the two of us.
He’s just one example of countless people who get so caught up in the arguing that they lose sight of the whole idea of the game. Although it is framed around a competition, football fandom should be more about bringing people together than creating a divide. It’s really not about the plays. It’s about the unity, the togetherness and the sense that maybe we’re all on the same team.
Sure, it’s easy to get worked up in the games. There are few things more exhilarating than a clutch sack or a last-second touchdown. We scream at the television and curse under our breaths when a lousy call is made. We get so caught up in the momentum that we feel like we are one with the players. We feel triumph when our team makes it to the playoffs and our hearts break when our future hall of famer gets hurt, but that’s part of coming together.
It even brings the members of one little family together. Football is my dad is sitting on the edge of the couch mumbling player bios and statistics. It’s my mom knitting with her eyes glued to the screen. Football is my brother and I having heated arguments about our favorite players. It’s even my sister randomly popping in to comment on the uniforms.
That guy at the table back in high school could have a million reasons for shutting down our conversation. He probably didn’t even think about unity or divisiveness or any of that. But I hope he can catch on to the fever that I have for the sports culture that is so much bigger than our little argument. Because when I’m at a Colts game and I see hundreds of people flooding the streets in blue and white, I get goose bumps. I get this idea that my family, the other fans and the players are one.
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