"Sam get up, get up!" my dad yells at some ungodly hour on a Mumbai morning in early February. It was the big day again and this time it was special. My dad's most beloved son was on TV. The Chicago bears took the field for the biggest game since Sweetness. I had been told about the days of Ditka, Butkis and McMohan and now this was the great Bears team of my generation. The ones that we so hoped would beat the infamous Peyton Manning and bring the hardware back to the windy city.
The Anthem plays the coin is flipped and the Bears are set to receive. Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri for the colts and takes his paces. The camera pans all the way down to the five where our favorite player the electrifying rookie and future Hall Of Famer Devin Hester stands in anticipation. Vinatieri leans into his first step and starts his moment toward the ball. It off and flying through the air on a perfect trajectory to our speed freak rookie at the 8 yardline along the sideline. Hester accelerates as he angles himself at the middle of the field while a barrage of colts appear to encompase him. Just as the return looks dead our #23 hesitates and make a decisive change in direction back up the field to the sideline. He tiptoes through two defenders and lunges past another and suddenly there daylight. My dad grabs my arm and screams with joy, Hester only has Vinatieri to beat and once he hits the open field there's no stopping this guy. It's a race down the sideline and toward glory the first ever kick return touchdown in Super Bowl history.
From then I was hooked Football became my favorite sport I was set to learn everything about it. The next Christmas my dad got me the NFL Films box set of documentaries about every season in the Super Bowl Era. I know more useless facts about Boomer Esiasin and Dan Fouts than anyone should every know. This was the start of my hopefully everlasting passion and admiration for the game of Football. To this day I spend every Saturday and Sunday during the season watching games and talking to my dad.
From the "Autumn wind is a Pirate" or the Super Bowl Shuffle the NFL's personalities and pure excellence earns my attention every season. And whether it's my team or the lying, cheating, spying, phone destroying Patriots I can never stay away from the game I fell inn love with on a Devin Hester kick return in Miami.
I agree with you 100 percent completely. Football is the greatest ever. Best work of art in the world. I mean for example, when Vontaze Burfict obliterating Antonio Brown's head and knocking him out for the rest of the game is just amazing art. Or when AJ Green has 227 yards on a dismantled Ravens Team.
ReplyDeleteFootball is art as you mentioned, also how the coaches make up the plays is also art to me. Because its called play art. And it has a meaning to a team as a play defines them as whether they are a running team or passing team. Its also art because its creative and no other play is similar. Sucks how my Falcons lost from 28-3 sheesh!
ReplyDeleteI don't know your talents as an athlete, but you've definitely earn a living as a sports writer. Paragraph 2 shows you've got "the knack." Reminded me of this piece:
ReplyDeletehttp://instruct.uwo.ca/kinesiology/378/files/essays/yardrun.pdf