Football Time

At dinner last Saturday night, the big screen tv featured an NFL preseason game. The local news broadcast updated fans about Tennessee Vols practice. TN high school teams played their first game of the season this past weekend.

That's right, folks. Despite the late summer heatwave, it's football time in Tennessee.

Lisa is not a big football follower. But, like everyone in East Tennessee, she pays attention. That's why she was very polite as I told her in great detail why football–specifically the NFL--mirrors the seasons of our lives. 

The preseason game I mentioned also promo'd the 61st Super Bowl. Super Bowl LXI will be televised by ESPN/ABC next February.

In case you are counting, that's not a misprint. There have been 60 previous Super Bowls. Lisa and I have been alive for all of them, though just barely. And full disclosure, I don't remember the first three. But, as I told her at dinner (probably for the 61st time), I do remember Super Bowl IV. 

I really remember Super Bowl V. I associate it with this life milestone: that was the day I successfully learned how to tie my shoes. I was seven years old.

So you understand when I say, we grew up with the Super Bowl. Or did the Super Bowl grow up with us?

As noted earlier, I associate Super Bowl groupings with phases of our lives. Past ones included:

The young kid everything is riding on this for tomorrow's school bus ride phase.
The young couple getting to know each other's interests phase.
The young married couple with young adult friends phase.
The young family phase. 

These days,  it is the older couple struggles to stay awake until the final whistle blows phase.

But back to the early days, those school bus rides could get tedious if your favorite team just lost.

To wit, one of the reasons I still have such as strong dislike for the Pittsburgh Steelers all these years later is they crushed the soul of a young pre-teen Oakland Raiders fan with The Immaculate Reception and other dastardly deeds. You can imagine what those bus rides were like.

And when I wasn't vehemently rooting for the Raiders in that era, I pulled for the Dallas Cowboys as my other childhood team because that seemed to be the team of choice among my Memphis uncles and grandfather. But if you didn't like them, you hated them. So: lots of "Ha ha, You lost!"

As for me, I liked both teams. It must've been something about the silver.  Here I am sporting my Kenny Stabler #12 jersey as a young adult. 

Fortunately, the Raiders got a measure of revenge by beating Pittsburgh in route to their title in Super Bowl XI. Maybe that is why I bought the jersey.

The games, by the way, were played in the afternoon and during the month of January back then. Did I read this year's big game will actually be played on Valentine's Night?

Anyway, as I grew from child to teen to young adult, Super Bowls also evolved. And later, they did move to night time and they did slide into February. Halftime shows shifted from featuring marching bands to becoming entertainment showcases.

Likewise, my viewing habits also morphed. I no longer threw childhood tantrums or pouted if my team lost for one. And, these days, I've been known to skip a halftime or two. Truthfully, I prolly skipped the old ones, too.

Back in those days, when the Raiders won Super Bowl XV, I remember I was watching from the back area at my first part time job so I missed parts of all of it. A year later, I missed the entire game: the 49ers' first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XVI. Why did I miss, you might ask? I was on a date.

The romance didn't last long. A few weeks or so. Should've watched the game, instead, and skipped the date.

Three years later, when the Niners won their second Super Bowl, I missed that one too. I was snowed in without a tv set. Remember when East Tennessee hit -24°F? Yep. That was me without a tv.

Lisa saw her first Super Bowl a year later--when the Super Bowl Shuffle Bears won Super Bowl XX over New England.

That ushered in the next phase of our Super Bowl experiences. Young marrieds/Super Bowl parties. Over the course of the next two decades, we hosted or were hosted for Super Bowl parties by various friends. 

As our kids were born, grew, and became aware of the big game, they lobbied for various big day treats along with watch parties

In recent times, we've settled into a more low-key orientation to the big game. Since our Tennessee Titans are now 27 years removed from their one and only Super Bowl appearance, it has been hard to generate tons of excitement with the likes of New England, Philly, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Denver leading the way.

Maybe someday the Titans will be back on top. Or the Raiders will finally "Just Win Baby." Either way, something's gotta give. You'd think.

Meanwhile,  Lisa says she has to take note of the tv spots because of her mass communications teaching duties. I'll be sure to point out some of my favorites.

Anyway, all that to say, it's again football time in Tennessee. Starting last weekend, there will be meaningful football games played at various levels for nearly six months. 

And as a new season dawns, #CoachJeff enjoyed spending just a little time reflecting on the many ones leading up to this one.

JG