It is college and pro football season once again. My fantasy team is 1-0, though that is the only bright spot so far.
Living in Oklahoma is interesting. Anyone who has lived here or been here during football season understands that. We don't have the other distractions or attractions that dilute college sports. When Oklahoma is playing, the people show up in droves--all dressed in variations of crimson. Sometimes their cars are Sooner Red and they all have flags. I still remember the first home game I witnessed here. After living in Houston (never saw UH play football--they were all at the Astrodome) and attending Colorado State where the stadium is out of town and the team was terrible, I had no idea what football mania was like. I awoke that first Saturday and looked out my window to see more ugly red golf pants and Sooner hats than I should have seen. I immediately went out and sold parking.
Now, some dozen years later, we have watched horrible football turn into some of the best in the country. And we are back to the old jokes. When I first got here, the team had some problems scoring and players were getting into trouble. The joke was, "how do you keep a Sooner out of your backyard? Put up goalposts!" We are back to that, though, I suspect, for a shorter period than before. Oklahoma will improve this year and beat someone they are not supposed to--that is my prediction.
I am actually fascinated with how people identify with pro and college sports around the country. What leads people to become a "fan" and wear the hats, t-shirts, or even authentic uniforms of their favorite? Is this good? Does it distract us from more serious things--or is it a good distraction from the banality of Karl Rove's world? I know I am one of those who tends to see the sports world in Manichean terms. Usually that is just fun for me. Though I recall a particularly painful Bronco loss to the Oakland Raiders that sent me to therapy the next day. It was just the last straw!
Anyway, I don't know what to think about sports. I understand the bad side. I know about all the athletes who are exploited to keep a college program going. Kids who don't have a prayer at a pro career who still don't get a decent education. Or the kids in high school and Jr. High who are already starting to use steroids to compete for that scholarship.
I know I enjoy watching football on tv. Even when my teams lose--it is still a great time of year. I know CIL agrees with me here.
4 comments:
We are a country obsessed by Sports year round, but nothing compares to Football. You're right sometimes we get our priorities screwed up, but on the flip side we live in such stress filled lives that Sports is one way we have to escape the real world. My life may be shit, but the Cowboys are winning!
A few things:
1) Geek Shadow is a genius because he roots for the Cowboys. You are not because you root for the Broncos.
2) If you continue bashing sports, we can't be friends anymore. But I'm not sure you are heart broken about this.
3) The rabid connection with sports teams is something that I have been thinking about too. Why are people so fanatical and defensive when people try to, I don't know, change Native American mascots? I argue their defenses are not honoring American Indians, they have invested part of their personal identity in this image or mascot. But I am not sure why this is so potent.
Oh yeah,
4) If you want to see a real football game, you need to take a trip to South Bend, Indiana and watch a football game at the University of Notre Dame. Just once. You might know someone you can hook you up with tickets.
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