I have a small, abiding sense of loss occurring lately. The summer winds down, and fall is next.
Fall, in this relationship, means a good deal of football. What is it about football? Baseball, basketball, I can relate to, but football - not so much. This pensiveness leads me to wonder why I have a slight aversion to football. Perhaps because it it uber-masculine. Although, in the Detroit area there is a women's football team (one of my students was on the team), I think women are clearly left on the sidelines with this sport. The players are big, burly, and look like they could easily wring your neck. The play is rough and crushing.
Another reason I feel outside the game on this one is that the sport itself seems a little slow. Baseball, yes, can be a bit slow, but it is suspenseful, I think. There is a certain anticipation in watching the pitcher get ready to throw, and in watching the hit on the pitch. With football, it's just a matter of watching guys lumber around and get back into position. Boring. And, those time-outs! Ugh.
Another reason is that football seems overly-complicated. I am not completely ignorant about the sport, but the rules seem very elaborate. Maybe it's because I am not a big fan. Maybe the Lions have made me that way. Even though we all crave a great team, the Lions are the Lions. Perennially at the bottom of the pile.
During the winter, spring, and summer, we have the Tigers and the Red Wings to enjoy. The Pistons are fun too. But in the fall, the Lions return once again to distract my man, and disappoint us all. Maybe if the Lions could, somehow, turn it around, I could be back on the couch, next to the Admin and a beer, enjoying a good game of football.
