Rethinking Football.

I've always liked to play sports, but it's been a while since I've been able to enjoy most pro or collegiate sports, especially football. I don't like the violence of the game, not to mention the violence in the attitudes of way too many fans.

Yeah, people go psycho over football; lots of folks allow this little ball-moving contest to bring forth their most obsessive and/or hedonistic and/or hostile tendencies and let them run amock. I just moved to Iowa City, IA, which is - trying for the understatement of the century, here - something of a football town. Last weekend the U of I hosted Ohio State (Iowa lost, but they're still good.), and whoah! This place was a steaming, pulsating frothing pigskinny mess of fans.

I don't know why exactly I don't relate to the mania. I do like football. I do. But the freak-out is just not me.

Still though, I'm rethinking the generally critical stance I've had toward the fanatical love many people have for their sports teams. It must be the times. There's so much war, everywhere. So much war. So much of a "Kill first" mentality. God help us, are we invading Iran, now? Somebody tell me.

And I know that people live vicariously through the entertainment they consume. I know that a certain amount of anger and aggression is endemic to the human condition, and must be expressed. We can all rent Rocky (the original, or part III, or maybe IV. Definitely not II. V is better than II, I don't care what you say.), or we can dream up titanic faux battles between our various communities on the football fields.

There will always be lots about football that I hate - the gluttony of it's associated passtimes, the destruction of the players' bodies - but in this season of history, in which the travesty of military missteps is so much in full view, I wonder why we wouldn't want to fixate upon an ultimately meaningless contest of strength and will, and throw all our fight into that.

Peace be with you.