Farewell Football

Photo: Malcolm Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

*The below was originally posted in February 2022.

The time of year is upon us when we drift into sport no man’s land for a few weeks between the end of football and the beginning of baseball. And although I’m sure many readers watch the NBA as well, for me, the basketball itch doesn’t really hit until mid-March. No matter your preference, there’s no doubt a lull for sports enthusiasts during the month of February. Somehow, I always forget about this until it’s a Saturday with freezing temperatures in Boston, and I quickly realize there are no games to distract me from the cold. Even if you’re planning to take in the Celtics, you sit and twiddle your thumbs until around 8:30 p.m. And as much as I hate to admit it, these days, you’d be hard-pressed to find me doing anything at 8:30 that doesn’t involve brushing my teeth and preparing to retire for the evening. This may be a flaw in my character, but it’s the truth. So where does that leave us? I suppose if I had the answer to that question, I wouldn’t be crafting this post in the first place. Are we destined for Netflix? On Demand movies? A good book, perhaps? Before we get too far ahead of ourselves thinking about what’s to come, I think it’s important to close out the football season with a proper farewell to the game.

First, some history…

American football, also known as “gridiron football” due to the layout and hash marks on the field, was first played in the decades following the Civil War. Over this period, from the late 1860s to the early 1880s, the game evolved into a form closer to the one we know today. What began as Ivy Leaguers messing around and adapting the rules of games like rugby and soccer—ended with an effort spearheaded by Yale student Walter Camp to solidify the undergrad rough-housing as a legitimate sport. Interestingly enough, as Camp was developing the rules for the new game in his free time, the now Yale graduate was also managing to climb the corporate ladder. Rising to the executive ranks of a watch-manufacturing company in New England. (Watches and football—if only there were a place to read about both today…) As if the man wasn’t busy enough, our buddy Walter also found time to write about his new sport. And he wrote about it—A LOT! We’re talking dozens of books on top of handfuls of articles for publications such as Harper’s and Collier’s. It seems Walter Camp was relentless in his pursuit of making football stick. (Thank goodness the guy had a work ethic.)

Camp’s game has always had some interesting contradictions—fast and slow, big and small, violence and poetry—it’s more complex than many realize, and as we have all witnessed, it can lead to great triumphs and great tragedies. Whether you view it as a sport or a spectacle, football has woven itself into the fabric of American culture during the past century and a half—to a point where those who don’t care to watch it still care enough to have an opinion on it. This is, of course, appropriate in a nation where we are free to have opinions. In fact, the opinions of non-fans and fans alike are good for the game’s development. If football never evolved, it wouldn’t be very reflective of how it started in the first place, out of new ideas and innovation.

For as much as we all may struggle with the risks associated with the gridiron, it’s no secret that many Americans, and now even international viewers, feel a deep longing for the game when it’s unavailable. This is where we find ourselves following the Super Bowl. Sure, attempts have been made to fill this void with other options like the USFL and the XFL—but to me (and I assume 99% of others), it’s just not the same. In a weird way, we need the break just as much as the players do. We need the opportunity to decompress and regroup. It’s the only way for excitement to build back up for the next season. Not to mention we need a moment to transfer the spotlight to our other pastimes—football competing with March Madness? Foregoing the diamond for the gridiron in June? None of it would feel right, which leaves us with only one option—putting football aside. But rest assured, come July players will start feeling it, that odd mix of anxiety and excitement for fall camp. Fans will feel it, too; August will come on the heels of a busy summer, and we will realize that the break wasn’t all that bad.

So, what do we do without football? We enjoy the break—every last minute of it—because when September hits, we will be back to cheering on our beloved teams once again.