The Game of Football

Guest post | Oscar McBride

In light of the recent allegations and controversies swirling around our favorite collegiate and professional football teams, I thought I would take a moment to point out some of the great things the game presents.

Now that said, it would have been much easier for me to jump on the bandwagon and add my minimal kerosene to the proverbial fire; but I thought to myself, “Why?” Seems that’s a recurring question regarding the sport so many of us know and love today ... “why?”

Let’s dig a little deeper shall we?

Whether it’s the “Thug Life” mentality of former New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez, the seemingly juvenile behavior of “Johnny Football,” NCAA violations running rampant in the SEC (duh), or the most recent scandal which could ultimately destroy a thriving Oklahoma State program we all tune in to see when the next hammer will fall and who’s head it might crush on impact. Forgetting about the real reason any of this stuff is happening …

Hello people! It’s all because some young man has a talent to play one of the greatest games ever invented … football.

Wait … wait … before your guys go all ACLU on me I’m not taking anything away from basketball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, track & field, tennis, swimming, rugby, golf, cricket, boxing, equestrian, MMA or ahh-hem … cheerleading … all I’m saying is that football makes sense to me.

Lemme ‘splain.

Football is truly "America's Game."

The struggle of the game makes sense. All of the hard work for months for only a few minutes of glory to be realized or dreams to be smashed. Honestly, did you ever do the math about how much time players spend in the off-season preparing for a total of only 480 minutes (8 hours) in high school and usually only 720 minutes (12 hours) in college? Can you say 8-9 months of struggle, work, pain and preparation for one live day?

Think about it … when’s the last time you worked on a job for nine months and didn’t get paid?

Uh huh ... That’s what I thought.

All of the disciplines, feelings, emotions and experiences that football teaches (in my mind) out-weigh all of the perversions that come with the success it brings. Hard work, tenacity, family, team work, selflessness, timeliness, focus, relentlessness, confidence, sacrifice, intelligence, fearlessness, bravery, joy, happiness, sadness, hope, fear, anger, brotherhood, camaraderie, intensity, vulnerability, swagger, power, anxiety, discipline, stress, ferocity, passion, and love are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think of football.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what NCAA rules or laws are being broken by the athletes who play – we love the game and what it represents. The players of today will one day be replaced by others who are just as good if not better than they … and when that time comes we will continue to, much like we do today, celebrate the game of football!

Sport is Life -

Oscar McBride

Cheers!