It\u2019s that time again. Millions around the world will soon all tune in together. It\u2019s one of the most anticipated weekends of the year: the start of the NFL season!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s just something about professional football (and college, too) that riles many of us up in a totally good way. It goes beyond the game \u2014 beyond the stats and celebrations, too. We are drawn to football fall and the professional pigskin. We pay attention to the players on and off the field. (Congrats, Travis and Taylor.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attempting to understand the why, I utilized our resourceful friend, Mr. Google, asking the following question: why do people love this game so much?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several had something to say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, from some Cornell University students in the field of Educational Technology (EdTech) and cognitive psychology\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I agree on all of the above (although my tailgating time has been lacking in recent years). The \u201cOffice on Trinity\u201d blog, no less, puts it this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All also good. Next from a Quora<\/em> contributor: \u201cIt\u2019s tough, fast, surprising, tactical, full of violence, noise, heroics, music, fireworks and pageantry. Friday night lights, Saturday festivity, Sunday warfare. What\u2019s not to love?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, the NFL is a big deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I find myself landing on two primary points in the pondering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One, as said by the creative Trinity<\/em> personnel, \u201cWell, it ain\u2019t just a game of football. It\u2019s a mix of tradition, thrills, and community.\u201d<\/em> Such is indeed an attractive combination to many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And two \u2014 and this may show my semi-humble, current events blogger bias \u2014 but there\u2019s something auspiciously profound about what\u2019s playing out before our very eyes \u2014 something we don\u2019t witness in too many places in the polarized world we live in\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: the current average attendance for an NFL game is just under 70,000 people. So tens of thousand of people are sitting in close-knit quarters with one another. Of those tens of thousands, there\u2019s widespread diversity \u2014 age, ethnicity, gender \u2014 pretty much every demographic; all are welcome. Better still, no less, in those tens of thousands, they are remarkably passionate, yelling and screaming loudly for their team\u2026 but not all yelling for the same<\/em> team. Right before us we see tens of thousands who profoundly and publicly disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And save the response of a disrespectful few, they don\u2019t insult one another. They don\u2019t tell the other why they\u2019re right and the other is wrong. There is no presumed moral high ground. At the end of the game, players and fans walk away peacefully and respectfully and prepare to play and cheer again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That, my friends, is a wonderful game in far more ways than one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s that time again. Millions around the world will soon all tune in together. It\u2019s one of the most anticipated weekends of the year: the start of the NFL season! There\u2019s just something about professional football (and college, too) that riles many of us up in a totally good way. It goes beyond the game … <\/p>\n