For the Love of the Game

There are not many activities I can think of that I enjoy more than watching college football on a Saturday afternoon.

I crawl out of bed just in time to catch the pregame show. I walk into the kitchen and there it is, the biggest breakfast I could imagine: biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, and grits. A meal like this topped off with a big glass of milk cannot be beat. All the while I'm enjoying the pregame.

By now, it's kickoff time. I'm lying down now because, just like last week, I told myself that a few more biscuits topped with Mom's famous sawmill gravy wouldn't hurt. The key is lying very still. Before you know it, my young stomach has recovered, and I'm back to my normal self.

I'll probably continue watching games until the end of the day. Just another typical Saturday during football season. It doesn't get much better than that.

For some reason, I don't get as excited about pro football. Sunday afternoon just doesn't appeal as much to me. Sure, I watch the games. I get excited about big plays, but it's just not the same.

Perhaps it's due to the lack of loyalty on the part of the players and team management. Issues like Brett Favre's conflict with the Packers and rookies holding out before training camp leave a sour taste in our mouths.

Sometimes it seems like they no longer play for the love of the game. They quit playing for the team and city that they represent and begin focusing on themselves and the money.

What happened to the kid who played football in the backyard on Thanksgiving Day and scored the winning touchdown? What happened to the humble Heisman finalist? Somewhere along the way, they forget the reason they play. They lose the love of the game.

If you ask them, they'll say they love the game. But it's just not the same. We can see the difference.

I love the Saturdays that I previously mentioned, but something was missing. There is only one thing that could make me leave the television on such a Saturday afternoon:  playing the game itself.

What would Thanksgiving be without a game of backyard football with all your cousins? Sure there may be a game on, college or pro, but certainly this can't substitute for a winning touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal in Aunt Judy's backyard!

So next Saturday, when you're sitting in your La-Z-Boy watching a game played between two teams that you really care nothing about, get up and toss the ol' pigskin around with one of your friends, or, even better, someone from your family.

Have a barbecue and invite those cousins over. It will be a perfect chance for revenge for that Thanksgiving game 15 years ago. I mean, come on. You and I both know he pushed off on that winning touchdown catch.

Go to your local high school team's game on Friday night. You won't find much more passion or love for the game anywhere else. Experience the camaraderie between the fans and the love for your local team.

At halftime, look off to the side of the field where the young kids are playing their own game of football. That's what's missing in so many superstars' hearts. That is the love of the game.

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