The 106th NFL season kicks off on Thursday night with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys.
In the pecking order of life’s pressing personal and professional priorities, football likely ranks low, though television ratings can sometimes suggest otherwise. Last season, tens of millions of people watched professional football each week. Millions more watched college games.
I think I know why.
With all kinds of concerns swirling about, from wars and rumors of wars to political upheaval and social evils running everywhere, football is a welcome reprieve from the madness and mayhem of everyday life.
Unlike in culture these days, football fields have boundaries: Straight lines marking what’s in and what’s out. There are referees who enforce the rules. Usually. If they miss something, there’s often the chance of an official review.
The best teams may not always win on any given day, but things eventually shake out across the 17-game regular season. I love football because it rewards hard work and toughness, requires practice, patience, and teamwork. Players wear pads and helmets because collisions are inevitable and sometimes unavoidable. The game demands that you get up when you get knocked down.
Sports teach us life skills, like how to win and lose, how to prepare, compete and persevere – and how to develop and manage our emotions. It teaches us the importance of self-discipline.
Football starts in the warm weather, and in many cities, ends in the cold of winter. It’s rare for storms to scuttle a game. We’ve all seen players slipping and sliding in the mud or trying get traction on a snow-covered field.
Life is a lot like that, too. Parents don’t have the luxury of metaphorically retreating to a warm locker room. They have to find their footing and play the game regardless of the storms that might be raging. It brings to mind the fun, old poem.
“Whether the weather be fine, Or whether the weather be not, Whether the weather be cold, Or whether the weather be hot, We’ll weather the weather, Whatever the weather, Whether we like it or not!”
That’s life. That’s football.
There’s a reason a football game has four quarters. How you start may be important, but it’s not nearly as critical as how you end.
For us fans, football is just a game, a pleasant diversion from the difficulties of life. But if we’re paying attention, football also provides us with a chance to learn some lessons about how to manage and navigate those difficulties that are sure to come our way.
Here’s to a great season – and the fun you’ll have watching with your family and friends.