Back in the day (2 years ago), I used to watch football from 1pm to the end of the night game on Sundays. In total, I would work on my computer while spending almost 11 hours in front of the TV. A typical day would be watching my beloved Buffalo Bills lose a heart-breaker in the afternoon game, then moving to the FOX Joe Buck/Troy Aikman 4pm late game, then move over to Football Night in America on NBC as soon as that game was over hoping to catch at least some of Dan Patrick's highlights before the 8:30pm game started and some country music singer would sing a sexy toon announcing that NBC is carrying a football game and they're going to kick the arses of the rest of the networks in the ratings war! I'd watch that game hoping for some excitement and then close my eyes and go to bed. TV and football were my best friends.
Kind of sad if you think about it.
Now, I still watch the Buffalo Bills no matter, but Sunday's are typically when we do our Writing Festival Readings, so after 4pm, I am gone to the studio to shoot and direct. Only when this schedule took place is when I realized that I really don't miss football all that much.
Eventually I might also weed myself off from the Bills games, but that is tough because there is so much history involved with myself and that team. I'm from the area and I feel for the fans. I literally would give one of my pinky fingers up if the Bills were guaranteed a Super Bowl win.
But in about 20 years, football will probably be a shell of itself so we might as well enjoy it while it lasts. I played the game successfully and learned a lot from it, but there's no way my kids are playing it. It makes no sense seeing there are so many other great sports to play. And this point of view has really only changed for me in the last 2 years. And if I'm thinking it, then there are tons of other parents out there in my generation thinking it too.
Those great athletes playing football now wouldn't be playing it if there were born in 2010 and not 1990.
Yesterday I watched what football is now in a nutshell. CJ Spiller, the extremely talented Running Back for the Buffalo Bills was sprinting down the sidelines in a Gazelle-like fashion looking like one of the greatest athletes on the planet. The Safety on the opposing team eventually tackled him down after a 53 yard run. Then Spiller didn't get up. He was carted off the field with a broken collarbone (painful injury - I broke my and I hurt like something) and is probably done for the season. He's great but he's now hurt. Would like happen in baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis etc...? NO. That's the point. IF you're a great athlete, you might as well play the sports that limit you getting hurt. So don't play football. And that's what's going to happen in the next generation.
So I'll enjoy my Bills for as long as they are around, but I honestly give the all and mighty powerful NFL only 20 more years.
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