By: Bufo Calvin

Bufo Calvin — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Thanks for writing, Joe!

When I did eventually get involved in watching football, I found that the “key for the gate” was getting to know who the players were as individuals. Understanding that it was extraordinary when so and so did something that might not have been for somebody else…that humanized it for me. Learning the rules also helped.

By: Joe Bowers

Joe Bowers — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 15:15:45 +0000

Hi, Bufo,
This post takes me back to my college days. I went to a small private liberal arts college in Illinois, (earned some scholarships, my family is not that affluent) and, although the school is well-regarded for its academics, there was quite an athletic tradition. It is kind of cliche, but there was clearly the attitude that sports and teamwork, etc., teach life lessons as well as how to develop one’s physicality. The “jocks” had to also be pretty darned smart and studious! (I myself was never particularly coordinated or physically gifted, but many of my friends and dorm-mates were on the teams, and I learned a lot from them.) Our football players learned a lot about adversity, because they seldom were victorious! So, I became a sports fan (more than I had been before) through seeing the games as struggles and journeys of human beings, as stories, if you will.
Football is the only pro sport I still follow, the college games I find more interesting.
Another good topic!

Comments on: Jocks vs. Brains: can you be both a sports fan and a serious reader?

By: Bufo Calvin

By: Joe Bowers