September 2007

I am not much of a football fan, I didn’t grow up watching football at all. Dad, as far as I know has only watched one brand of pro sports…rodeo, and he doesn’t follow it. Mom likes football (she grew up in Texas after all), but never made much of an effort to teach me about it. I have learned to like watching football when I know the players. Seriously, I attended about one half of a game when I was in high school, in my defense, I lived 30 miles from school, and didn’t make an extra trip often. When I went to college at University of Wyoming I stayed in my room during the first home game (and most of them aren’t warm weather games). My friends drug me to the next game and they explained what was going on. After noticing a guy I had met in the common area of my dorm suited up and playing, I was hooked. We always sat on the 30, about 5 or 6 rows up.

After graduation I moved to a tiny town in Nebraska, and I went to nearly every home game as well as the nearby away games. The town was so small, several of the band members marched at half time wearing their football uniforms. They had an awesome team, often scoring 45 more points than their opponents, ending the game early. My husband made the mistake of proposing to me during half time of one of their games, on a romantic river bridge just outside of town, and after he was done I was itching to get back so I could finish watching the Broncos beat the Trojans.

Right now I am watching my nephew quarterback Idaho playing USC. He is a smart articulate young man. It is fun to see him get so much TV time. I wish I could see him make a touchdown. He has made some great plays, and the announcers even pointed out that even though Idaho was not matched athletically against USC, they were “sort of” out playing them. That was before half time though. It has been really confusing since the Idaho players have duplicate numbers, there are two 10s and several other numbers as well.

I am not a Nebraska football fan. I certainly don’t cheer against them, unless they play Wyoming of course, but most of the time I could care less. I have been to several games, and everyone is excited, and it is fun, but you have to sit so far from the game, it takes all the fun out of the live experience, no 30 yard line 5 rows up here. And I don’t know anyone on the team. I do respect my husband’s need to scream advice and insults at the refs during games. I try to keep the kids out of the way and keep enough background noise that their ears don’t turn blue.

Now when I watch football, it is usually only the Superbowl, and I always cheer for the underdog. I guess I am in my element here watching Idaho and USC. Well, Nathan is out, I sure hope they score though. I would like to see them with at least 10 points. Idaho has done well on sacks and interceptions too. Whoo hoo, they scored! They only showed the Idaho fans once, and I didn’t see my step-dad or step-brother. That sure wasn’t equal treatment.

I wish I had a team around here to follow live. I don’t know any high school boys, I guess all my friends have little kids. My husband keeps telling me that Tommy will be a football player, but he is only one.

(2023 note: Thomas did play football, but sports were not where he shined after all, and our local high school football team is one of the worst in the state, so I don’t watch them much either.)