In “How I Learned to Love Football”, Felisa Rogers sheds light on how her relationship has greatly influenced her flare of interest towards football. During her childhood, she was led to believe that sports or even the likes of it was definitely not her cup of tea. She grew into a life of “intense dislike for playing sports, or even hearing about sports”. But as fate would have it, she ended up married to Rich, who was “a Green Bay Packers fan”. His love for this football team and its players unintentionally drove her nuts and as a result, “it began to cause a rift in our [their] relationship. Life took a turn for the worst for the writer when a series of unfortunate events befuddled the pair and this was when she realized that her husband’s view of the …show more content…
players on that team was inspirational and “tightly crafted”.
She asserts that the significance of football has never been clearer to her especially since it is, for many people, “… a source of comfort… where your opinion” matters just as much as anyone else’s. She then began to pay attention to Rich’s take on football since “it was a lifeline between who he had become and who he used to be” despite it being “a touch more academic than most”. In turn, she too began to grasp the basic “mechanics of the game” and before long, gave in to the pleasures of football. Upon reading this article, I was moved by the willingness of the author to pour her emotions into the pages. As H. Jackson Brown Jr. puts it, “Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye”. Well, that’s me. I found this piece to be beyond meaningful, particularly because I grew up in a condition similar to hers whereby being the person I was, I was simply not cut out for sports, let alone football. On a more personal note, I can relate to the build up of hatred and insecurity she experienced. Unfortunately, this may eventually result in dismissing any sports, even before giving it a try.
Worst of all, you might not even realize this since you could easily mistake hatred for instinct. Once such matters have come into passing, there is no going back. However, it is possible to recover from this dilemma but it requires a great deal of effort. Interestingly, this is where the author introduces a heartwarming story of how she chose to connect with her husband. Football. Yes, football. Truthfully, love does that to you. Sometimes when you care for someone, you tend to find the best method to approach your loved ones, be it football or anything else, especially if they are depressed. Consequently, this common interest strengthens your relationship. Other than that, I came to realize that football isn’t just about kicking a ball, but rather the inspirational stories behind the ones kicking the ball that the public can actually relate to or even discuss. Lastly, a precious commodity I find impressive is that you have the ultimate right to your opinion; something I had never thought to associate with football before. This unique display of freedom of speech has certainly aroused my interest to explore this sport in the near future. To sum it up, this essay was more than an eye-opener as it is not just the story of how Felisa Rogers learned to love football, but also how I came to embrace football in my life too.
Over the past years, many will say that football has become America’s new pastime, taking over our weekends for almost half of the year. Fans travel from all over the country to see their favorite college or professional teams play, and once the football season is over, the countdown clock for the first game of fall begins. There are many positive aspects to the sport, and the fans and players love it, but in John McMurtry’s “Kill ‘em, Crush ‘em, Eat ‘em Raw”, the reader is introduced to a side of football that some have not seen, and many choose to ignore. McMurtry believes that the game of football has become one of people just wanting to hurt other people and too many injuries are occurring to justify the fun
There can be no question that sport and athletes seem to be considered less than worthy subjects for writers of serious fiction, an odd fact considering how deeply ingrained in North American culture sport is, and how obviously and passionately North Americans care about it as participants and spectators. In this society of diverse peoples of greatly varying interests, tastes, and beliefs, no experience is as universal as playing or watching sports, and so it is simply perplexing how little adult fiction is written on the subject, not to mention how lightly regarded that little which is written seems to be. It should all be quite to the contrary; that our fascination and familiarity with sport makes it a most advantageous subject for the skilled writer of fiction is amply demonstrated by Mark Harris.
Football is not a game but a religion, a metaphysical island of fundamental truth in a highly verbalized, disguised society, a throwback of 30,000 generations of anthropological time. (“Football Quotes, Great”, par. 12)
Rick Reilly, in his ESPN column (2007), contends that sports competitions are more than simple games, instead, they are events capable of bringing people together in unique ways. He reinforces his contention by integrating inspirational anecdotal evidence, bold syntax, and unvarnished diction. Reilly’s purpose is to point out the importance and humanity of sports in order to convince a college professor and readers of sports magazines that sports writing is indeed an advanced and valuable profession. He assumes a humorous tone (“...most important- sports is the place where beer tastes best”) for an audience of sports magazine readers, but more specifically, a professor that told him that he was “better than sports.”
In David Foster Wallace’s essay, “How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart,” he argues that the true talent of star athletes is to completely engross themselves in playing the game. While worshipping the “abstractions like power and grace and control” of Tracy Austin, he notes the contradicting quality, her inability to articulate such abstracts (143). He continues by writing, as people’s expectation while reading the autobiography of a successful athlete is to take a peek at the secrets of their god given gifts, whereas the expectations are rarely met, making spectators, such as himself, disappointed. As a matter of fact, Wallace suspects that the exceptional talent of athletes may be brought out by their apathetic and ignorant nature when it
The Odessa football players couldn't be objective about criticisms of football. Their total self-esteem depended on how they did on Friday night. This was the glorified culmination of their football career: wearing the black MoJo uniform in the stadium under the big lights. Football was more than just a game to them; it was a religion. It "made them seem like boys going off to fight a war for the benefit of someone else, unwitting sacrifices to a strange and powerful god" (Bissinger, p.11). Because football was so meaningful in their lives, to criticize it was to criticize everything they'd worked so hard for and lived for.
“‘Athletics last for such a short period of time. It ends for people. But while it lasts, it creates this make-believe world where normal rules don’t apply. We build this false atmosphere. When it’s over and the harsh reality sets in, that’s the real joke we play on people’” (Bissinger xiv). “Friday Night Lights” shows the darker side of high school football. Players are taught to play games to win, and thats all that matters. Football players are put under a tremendous amount of pressure, almost enough to be considered unfair. Even though football is a “team sport”, pressure on individual players is unnecessary. Some players have the burden of the team, the city, their family, and their future, resting on their shoulders. These players are put under pressure that is physically and emotionally damaging, not to mention future ruining.
...e their life as well as the children. The children receive a ton of pressure from their families to perform at a high level so they will feel satisfied as parents that their football player performed well. Thus the families’ obsession of high school football in particular the parents’ obsession proves to be a continuous and damaging cycle for the high school football players.
Ripley argues that football is a dangerous sport for students that young to begin to express their rage on and off the field. However, in the article Do Sports Build Character or Damage it? the author Mark Edmundson writes about his experience playing high school football. He said football made him a better person. He gained courage, strength, and heroic character. Edmundson said he applied everything in his life to football, which helped him get a job. Even though he was not the best player, he said he enjoyed going to practice every day to increase his skills. These attributes help Edmundson still to this
Athletes in times of difficulty can be important role models.” This shows that sports are in fact helpful because they can grow children into being important role models for the rest of society. Studies have shown time and time again that playing sports can be beneficial to children and we also believe this to be true. Many people still think that sports cause “too many injuries”, or coaches “are not fair enough”, but adolescents will experience these things all throughout their lives because injury can happen anywhere and they will not always be the best at what they are doing. Sports are beneficial to the youth because they can teach children and teens important life skills, help them maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, all while improving their mental health.
During the late 80’s, Phil Alden Robinson developed a sensational story that revolved around a real life account of a sport tragedy. The viewers were immersed in a touching account of how sport, a social interest, can play a powerful role in human bonding; thus becoming a very spiritual component of life. It in itself has a profound effect on the societies’ spiritual experiences; and just like religion can respectfully be considered a form of spirituality for a modern society, as exemplified in Robinson’s movie ‘Field of Dreams’. This story resonates far beyond the power of dreams, its appeal lies in a vision of a perfect sport and the love for which can inadvertently resolve issues no matter how grand. The plot at first presents itself as a complex; or maybe even a strange series of events, but somehow its scenes string themselves into a moral about redemption and deep interpersonal bonds.
In the book entitled Out of Their League, David Meggyesy describes his life as a football player from high school through his days with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Born in 1941, Meggyesy was raised in a low-income household in Solon, Ohio. Like many athletes from impoverished backgrounds, he was able to use the game of football to better himself though both a full scholarship to Syracuse University and financial stability with the Cardinals. During his career, however, Meggyesy became increasingly disillusioned with the game of football and how its athletes were subject to tremendous physical and psychological turmoil from those in power—namely the coaches and the NFL team owners. He began to see the game of football from a conflict theorist point of view. This is the belief that sport is an opiate used to benefit those in power through the exploitation of athletes which enables those such as coaches and team owners to maintain their power and privilege in society. (Coakley, 1998) Meggyesy's growing disenchantment with football and adoption of a conflict theorist point of view led him to retire from the Cardinals in 1969.
Football is a game of adversity and emotion. People who have not played a sport or follow one closely don’t understand the emotion behind game. They think that football is just a game, but for those who are involved with the team don’t think so. All those horrendous hours of countless preparation are for something players and coaches love. About a few years ago, a football player at the collegiate level was told that he wouldn’t be able to play another down of football again due to his banged up h...
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, but so Cassius Clay, Jackie Robinson, and Bill Russell. Long before King’s famous “I Had a Dream” speech or Rosa Parks famous stand came something much simpler: sports. Sports have always had the ability to open people’s eyes in a way that is more impactful than words or actions. The way that athletics can shape a persons mind, or open their eyes to something beyond what they already believe, is incredible. They can get everyone to root for a common purpose, a common goal. And for some, that was freedom. The integration of professional and collegiate athletics not only changed sports history, but helped shape American history.
He describes how despite the leagues problem with domestic violence, former players having brain damage and committing suicide, their tendency to over fine players to make more money, and employment of bad people like Greg Hardy, people who like football don’t care enough to do something about it (Foster 1). Football fans continue to contribute to the success of the NFL by watching the games, playing fantasy football, and buying tickets and jerseys in record numbers. Foster implies people watch football “because it entertains us, because it brings us together, because of tradition and other fine reasons.” (Scott 1). Therefore, like the people in the omelas with the small child, NFL fans ignore the suffering of the increasing amount of domestic abuse victims and the suicides, for their own happiness. Scott concludes, “We don't change for the same reason the NFL won't change: Change is not in our best interest.” (Scott 1). No one stands up for all the people negatively affected by the NFL’s power by boycotting or not watching, because if they do they will sacrifice the happiness they get from the football