With the 2011 season winding down, I can't help but think about how I came to love football.
It all started in 1995 when I signed up my son for the town football league. He was only 5 years old and in kindergarten. To me, he was still a baby. At that age, they played flag football. They were so young and adorable dressed out in full gear. The gear weighed more than they did. That first season was very comical. When they fell, they looked like turtles stuck on their backs. The shoulder pads were so wide and heavy they could get up. The coaches ran around the field putting the boys back on their feet.
When he started junior high school, he played school ball and continued to play on the town league. I never missed a single game. He played all the way through high school. I had a bit of a meltdown when the last game ended. It had been such a huge part of our lives for all those years. The boys are men now, and I still love football.
I learned a lot about the game from the sidelines, and soon the sidelines were not enough for me. I volunteered to be team mom, and team moms were allowed ON THE FIELD during half time.
I wish more women knew more about football. Maybe I should blog about female football fans or wannabe female football fans. I could share with them my knowledge of the basics of the game so they can watch and understand what's going on on the field.
I am still a big football fan, and when a season ends, I count the days until the next season starts. If you're a soccer mom, lacrosse mom, baseball mom, or football mom, you know how all consuming having your kids in sports can be. It was 13 years with my son, and I wouldn't trade one minute. I met my very best friends in those bleachers, and I'll save that for another post.
My sport is hockey. I understand the countdown. Every July I wait for the schedule to come out and plan vacations around where my beloved Redwings are playing.
ReplyDeleteAs for football, that was my daddy's sport. He's been gone over 30 years now, but I still love the sound of a football game on the television on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It reminds me of growing up, and for those few hours it's as if he's here again, cheering on his team, enjoying the game with me.