More football reading before the Super Bowl...

This is another story for anybody who's not that sure if they like football, not so sure they understand football, know they want nothing to do with the sport - a beautifully written essay by Aly Semigran on the show Friday Night Lights, which was about small town Texas high school football, but really about so much more. I was also never really into the high school football culture and was also reluctant to watch this show at first, but when it was on top of its game (pun intended), which it usually was, this was one of the best shows on television - you fell in love with the characters, and they made you kinda sorta fall in love with football. So, read the story at Television Without Pity here, and then even if you're not convinced that football is for you, don't worry about the Super Bowl - go and watch Friday Night Lights instead!

Go now - go! :)

Less than a week until the Super Bowl, y'all...

I've been ignoring a lot of big sports news out there - Alex Rodriguez's suspension from the 2014 MLB season, Dennis Rodman defending his new bestie Kim Jong Un. It's been crazytown overload. I actually get a sports break for the most part from now until April because I don't watch basketball or hockey but this Sunday is the Super Bowl of sports events - the Super Bowl. Yes, it's that time of year again. This year, the big showdown will be between the scrappy Seattle Seahawks and the heavyweight Denver Broncos. I used to hate the Super Bowl because I didn't like watching grown men cry whenever they lost it but now I love it - the social aspect if you choose to go to a Super Bowl party, as well as the fun of the game. Some years, of course, I get more invested than other years. Last year, I wasn't rooting for anyone until I realized I got a rush of excitement every time the Ravens scored...that's when I knew I at least had a preference. Obviously, whenever the New York Giants make an appearance, this fan girl goes wi-i-ild. This year, I have no horse in the race yet again. Of course, it kinda rocks that it will be played at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets - at least we're representin' somehow! But this whole postseason wasn't about rooting for anybody, since my team embarrassed me so terribly during the year that they had no chance of showing up - basically it was about rooting against Tom Brady. But actually, I should amend what I just said - there was no TEAM I was rooting for; I am, however, a huge Peyton Manning fan. So it was sweet sweet SWEET when he and the Broncos showed Brady and the Patriots what for...so to keep things straight, I am not rooting for the Broncos in this Super Bowl. I am rooting for Peyton Manning in this Super Bowl. I even have a jersey to wear to prove that - I'm going to wear my Peyton Manning jersey on Sunday. It's a Colts jersey. So yes, I hope the Broncos win...my brother-in-law will be over the moon if they do...he may never come back down. But I hope they win so that Manning wins. And then I will happily embrace my sports respite until baseball starts back up in April.

Wait...the winter Olympics start in about a week, don't they? I don't usually care if there's no one big name competing but I think my 10 month old daughter is totally going to love the colors and music and movement of figure skating. But after that, THEN, I will enjoy my sports respite...unless the Knicks or Islanders or Rangers make a playoff run.

It never ends, does it? :)

And for anyone who doesn't really understand football who might need a bit of a primer before Sunday's big game, here's a fun little British instructional video on the ins and outs of American football...