Giving thanks for... Football

This is probably the weirdest follow-up to yesterday's post about feminism that I could possibly come up with but like most Sundays from September to December (hopefully January), I've spent a lot of the day watching football so it's on my mind. I grew up watching the San Francisco 49ers, in the heyday of Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, but I don't remember really learning how the game actually works until I started dating a football player in high school. I still recall thinking that it was kind of sad that I was the only cheerleader on my squad who seemed to know what a first down actually was (yes, I was a cheerleader and I dated a football player - no one who meets me today can ever believe that...). I lost touch with football through college and graduate school but re-discovered it when I moved to San Diego in 2000 and now I'm a diehard Charger fan, which isn't always easy but I try to keep believing in them...

Over the years, being a football fan has been surprisingly handy. As a relatively introverted person, football gives me something to talk about with people (mostly men) that I otherwise have nothing in common with. Rooting for the local team makes me feel more tied to my community. Watching the Super Bowl is actually fun when the game is on, not just during the commercials. And instead of being a 'football widow', I can spend Sundays hanging out with J, who is an avid fantasy football player.

There are certainly a lot of things about the game that are not worthy of praise, and a lot of football players that I think are absolute idiots. I think it's obscene that football players (as well as other professional athletes) get paid so much money for something that doesn't really do much to improve society. But sometimes we all need mindless entertainment. And there is something awesome about being in a stadium with thousands of people all cheering for a common goal, even if that goal is really kind of silly. So today, I am thankful for Football and the many moments of excitement that it has brought into my life. What team do you root for?