'Tis the Season

Fall is in the air again. The sights and sounds of the season are beginning to surround us in a warm contentedness missing since February.

White stripes marching down fields of green shining in the autumn sun. The uniformed men running formations, shoulder pad to shoulder pad. The cacophony of helmet to helmet contact, roaring crowds and referees whistles.

This is football season. And I love it.

Football is America’s game in my mind. Sure, I like baseball, but it doesn’t move me like football does. There are analogies about life that lie within the baseball diamond, but I have always been drawn more to a football mentality.

There are many lessons to be learned from the game of football. Mental fortitude, teamwork, toughness, tenacity, humbleness in victory, graciousness in defeat. These are all hidden within the playbooks, learned on the fields and in locker rooms, in all levels of the sport.

And these are just lessons for the players. It speaks nothing of the lessons that can come from being a fan of the game. Loyalty. Commitment. Dedication. Community. These are all values that I see from the followers of the game.

Anyone who knows us knows that we bleed Silver and Black in this house. There may have been other team associations in the past (sorry Mitch), but we are raising our kids right. As Raiders fans.

We have some Raiders paraphernalia on our car. I cannot begin to tell you how many times we are approached by other Raiders fans when we’re out and about. From a honk of the horn on the road, beeping support of the team, or from a smile and a wink in the store from a fellow fan, it is a community of people who are all dedicated to one common goal. Cheering the Raiders onto victory.

It’s a beautiful thing.

Where else in life can you find so many people standing as observers, yet as invested in the outcome as any of the player on the field? Sure, other sports may come close, but for me, there’s just nothing like it.

I will leave you with this. 1994. Eugene, Oregon. Autzen Stadium. The greatest sports moment I have ever witnessed in my life. The greatest collective human moment I have ever experienced in my life. My throat was so sore from cheering I couldn't speak for days. My ears rang from the noise of the crowd. My heart filled with pride and my eyes with tears.

I give you, “The Pick”. This one’s for you, Dad.