Anyhow - football. I've never been an overt fan because I've always thought it looked incredibly boring and the rules were too crazy or complex, or something - essentially not worth my time. It appears, more so now than ever, that this is a gross fallacy. As of late I've been more and more intrigued by this game. Why you ask? Well - I've been reading Chuck Klosterman's "Eating the Dinosaur" for one - and a significant portion of it is devoted to football and the strategy thereof. The history of how passing became legal thanks in part to Roosevelt (p 129), and how at some point in the lifespan of the game it "a few guys..." (albeit moronically) "even punted barefoot" (p 143). How crazy is that? But whatever, Klosterman's passion and knowledge about this sport makes it sound incredibly complex and interesting. Not that it isn't, I just can't say because I don't have enough first-hand knowledge and experience with it.
But here's why, especially for me, he makes it sound so damn interesting: He is one of the men in my life that is really into football. The other two that I know are a) my friend and former coworker Sage who is aptly named, and b) a crazy intellectually comical behemoth of a man who is an NYC dweller. Having been inundated with football talk from both of these men, one through hilarious outtakes at work (listening to him talk, learning the Daunte Culpepper dance - which kind of makes me think of Lego Minifigs) to the other's hilarious rants on twitter-slash-his re-cock-ulous blog. In a way I feel that I've been primed to become interested in this strategic game. These factors came together all of a sudden - they formed into an apex in my mind - waiting for that match to strike and kindle the bulb that goes off in a flash to make me realize that this game is actually incredibly intelligent - and as Klosterman frames it, progressive.
And that's where he hooked me: progressive. That word embodies so much scope within its lithe appearance. It was my irrefutable undoing and metaphorical and intellectual indoctrination into the world of football. Which is kind of hilarious when I think about how many times Klosterman literally takes time out of the book to write a paragraph about how people should not read the section on football if they're not interested in football. I'm glad I took the time - being somewhat obsessive about his writing - it would feel wrong not to read every word. It would feel like cheating, like I hadn't finished the book. But that's besides the point. There is such a passion there that I could not help but read every single thing he wrote - and the more I read the more I realized just how incredibly fascinating it could be to learn all the rules, to learn all the positioning, to muse in my down time about interesting plays that could be made. It would be a crazy undertaking, it would take up lots of time and brain-space, but I think I could do it. Maybe not at this particular moment, but eventually yes, I sort of really want to!
It is very exciting - to go from not thinking about a sport, or thinking of it with mild distaste, to actually realizing that it could be something amazing. I mean - I guess one of my first clues was the fact that this really really hot really really smart girl at my old work, Thea, was really into it. This girl is a genius, both her parents are doctors, and she's got her own consulting company and has finished some sort of crazy medical degree. That was my first sign. Then came all the rest. So....I guess...now it's only a matter of watching some games with some knowledgeable people. It's gonna be fun. I just know it.
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