Watching the Superbowl, I was reminded of my experience playing football as a 13 year old kid.
It wasn’t fun. It was competitive.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it. I mean, I didn’t stop playing. I played the whole season. But I didn’t want to go back. Something was wrong there. Seriously wrong.
BARBARBARBARBAR!
Leave My Mother Out of It
The coach, one practice, said nasty things to me about my mother to psyche me up. I was too passive. That was his answer to my passivity.
He was a nice guy. I was a little surprised by this tactic.
I love the smell of gridiron in the daytime
The Good in There
It was also amazing. The smells, of the field, of my stinky uniform. Everything had a special smell, a different smell, different from anything you’d ever smelled before. The uniforms were like armor. You were invincible inside those things, mostly. The feel of the dirt, of impact, of rain and mud, of the ball when you caught an interception…
It wasn’t all bad, though I wasn’t in a place to really appreciate the complexity of the game. The coach never went over the playbook. He expected us to study it at home, on our own. I had better things to do with my free time. Like playing.
MORE?!
The Sup’bowl
Does that color my perception of the Superbowl? Yes, it does. So does everything else I’ve ever experienced. I enjoyed watching the game. The tradition of getting together around a central event is common in our human ancestry. It has deep roots. That’s why we love it so much.
It has deep roots in my childhood. We used to gather around every Sunday, often with friends, to watch the games.
War has similarly deep roots in the human psyche. We love to pick sides, to fight others now and then – hopefully, on a regular or predictable basis. Surprise-attacks are no fun…they’re too stressful. Football has been called “preparation for military service.” The first organized sports were often touted as enhancing “manly virtue.”
I'm going to steal some steak while these guys look for my contact lens...
American Idle-Worship
Worship is also a human trait. And I couldn’t help but think of worship when the trophy was being carried through the ranks of the 49′ers players, who all reached out to touch, rub, kiss, or lick it as it went past. As it was carried up onto the raised dais, I saw a God among us, being elevated for us to worship, the heroes sanctified by the God, and we, the winners, sanctified through association.
The commercials were ok. I’ve seen better. The one thing that stood out to me was that there were a lot of commercials featuring slapping or hitting. Not sure why that was.
In all, the community was the only important thing to me about the whole event. Hanging out, having some laughs, breaking bread together. That was meaningful, and fulfilling. And I’d go back again…Superbowl or not.