First, as near as I can tell, pro football has replaced baseball as the “national pastime”, at least as it is measured by maniacal fandom and diehard commitment.
Today’s anguish — how do I get my boys to love football?
Yesterday I sat with a dad that I barely knew while our kids had a playdate and watched a riveting battle between the Saints and the Rams. I have no specific affection for these teams, but I felt great watching it, and I had a satisfying human sharing moment with a near stranger. My two sons were in the next room, wildly indifferent to the game. Our home has Bengals logos on the wall, our license plate holder is black-and-orange striped and our wifi password includes support for the once-and-future-great Cincinnati Bengals. I want my boys to have access to this great pool of joy and common ground among guys. I don’t know exactly how I got the fever. I didn’t play. I don’t think we went to that many games. I guess it was on every Sunday and it was a way to spend time with my Pops.
Next season the love fest must kick off.