NFL Dreams Become NFL Realities

I started my NFL research project in February 2007. A dream is what prompted my study on the NFL.

I have to credit my love for the Oakland Raiders as the stimulus in my subconscious that spurred me on this fascinating journey as an NFL fan.

My concern and compassion for one NFL player seeded my mind which then blossomed into a creative writing experience. 

Basically, I was inspired by an abstraction which transformed to a concrete manifestation of articles, and educational materials in mathematics education.

I thought that the inspiration to begin writing about sports and mathematics had a rather ethereal beginning. Concrete results, however, have impacted the lives of my students, colleagues and sports enthusiasts in my environment.

Some projects start in a most unusual way. For example, Rene Descartes, the French mathematician and philosopher, had a dream. He gave us the rectangular coordinate system. It is a way to see some of the symbolic mathematics in a picture or graph. 

Descartes made our mathematics experiences more visual and concrete.

I hope to make sports and mathematics more understandable to young people.

NFL football is more than a source of entertainment. It holds a wealth of data which can open rigorous discussions in analysis and descriptive statistics.

NFL football is a very popular form of entertainment in America. It has the potential of being a powerful source of rigorous research in academia at all levels.

Although the start of this research is certainly non-conventional, a lot of good has come out of it:

1. A 33-page research paper and proposal titled, "On the Playing Field: Intensity and Integrity."

2. An article titled, "Take a Good Look, using Mathematics," published in an Contemporary Algebra newsletter, supported by the United States Military Academy and the National Science Foundation. Prof. Don Small is the editor.

3. A six-part series on the NFL players who attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

4. So far, 51 articles and viewpoints on B/R.

5. Established contact with Jerry Csaki, the education director, with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

6. Internet radio interview with Michael-Louis Ingram and others. www.blackathlete.com

7. Two presentations at the American Mathematical Society and Mathematical Association of America (AMS-MAA) conference in Washington, D. C. Discussed "New Ways of Assessing NFL Players." January 2009.

8. Devised a technique to compare NFL players, using mathematical modeling and statistics. May 18, 2008.

Most of all, the friend who I sought out, to encourage, who inspired me to do this work, has also been inspired. I send him the articles, to show him how important he and his senior colleagues' careers are to many NFL fans.

In the old days (1960-1970) when I was in college, many of the football players were viewed as "sex symbols." Girls on campus wanted to be seen with a player, especially if he had the potential of going to the AFL, now merged with the NFL.

Once those NFL players retired, were injured and moved to other arenas of life, the "rumble of the bumble bee" ceased. (That's what my retired NFL player friend calls the sound of the thousands of NFL fans in the bleachers). The "Big Man on Campus" (BMOC) syndrome faded away. Sometimes, in those silent moments, these retired players feel used and useless.

If, on the other hand, we honor the memories and contributions of the NFL retired players in many different ways, a gleam of dawn may brighten their senior years.

What is a concrete way to transform dreams into reality? 

There are many answers, but we can certainly start with hard work, persistence, and a vision. You must know: 

What you want to do,

where you want to go,

who you want to be,

when you want to get there.

The refrain is: NFL visions can become NFL realities, beyond those days on the field, and even into those senior years. Finally, we must pen NFL history with veracity and creativity. 

Note:  This article is dedicated to

Lloyd C. A. Wells

Homer Jones

Otis Taylor

Winston Hill

Anthony Guillory

John White

Ernie Ladd

and many others