GO HAWKS!

Just got home from lunch with a woman from my writing group.  She noticed the Seahawk button attached to my purse and said, "Are you a sports fan?  I wouldn't have pegged you for that."

Hmmm…well.   I am.  I love watching sports.  Playing not so much -- I'm not naturally athletic and usually it makes me tired, hot, sweaty, sore and frustrated to try to "do"sports.  It's not fun to do, but is great fun to watch.

I grew up in Chicagoland.  I grew up with the Cubs and Sox as part of the summer mosaic.  I grew up with the Bears as the fall and winter soundtrack to family gatherings.  I grew up to date and then marry the star high school pitching ace and game-winning quarterback  (well, those two games they won senior year -- one of them on a quarterback sneak!  Yay Tomcats!)

For the past 2-3 years I've decided to devote myself to watching as much professional football as possible.  I'm loving it!  And this year, our Seahawks are one game away from the Super Bowl.  Tomorrow is the NFC Championship game. This is a very big deal.  Our whole family is crazy-excited.  We have developed rituals and superstitions about what to eat and what to wear on game day.  If we can't catch the game in 'real time' we record it and insist on "media blackout" so we don't learn the score until we've watched the game.

I get that my writing friend was surprised.  In most other aspects of my life one would not guess that Sunday afternoon football brings out the competitor in me, especially the hard-hitting, gut-busting, head-banging kind of competition that professional football inherently just is.

For goodness sakes, I meditate, practice Yoga, chant Kirtan, lead Ecstatic Dance, facilitate women's groups, write poetry and song lyrics and this blog, crochet, and watch Downton Abby faithfully!  I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs.  I eat healthy foods.  I go to church a lot, serve on a ton of committees, only swear a little.   How can it be that I am football crazy?

I don't know.  I just am.  I love the sound of football on TV.  I love trying to learn the game (lots of rules!)  I'm intrigued by the personalities of the players and coaches.  I understand the sense of community and camaradarie of coming together as fans to cheer our team on -- there  is a sense of tribe, a sense of shared mission, a sense of belonging.

Is it big business?  Yep.  Is it violent?  Yep.  Does it glorify athletes far beyond their due?  Yep.  Is it universal and does it serve some deep psychological and/or sociological need?  Yep, yep, yep.  But let's not get too technical here.  It's also fun and entertaining and a nice distraction from the woes of the world.   Enuff said.  GO HAWKS!

At least, that's the view from here… ©