Football Season!!!

Some men hunt and spend hundreds of dollars each year on equipment and weeks spent out in the woods.  Some are into golf and spend most of the nice days of the year out hitting and chasing those little white balls.  Others like NASCAR and enjoy a racing season that seems to extend itself so often, I am not certain that it ends anymore.  At least a few friends enjoy hockey and spend all their time and money watching fights they call games.  I don't understand those into professional basketball or even baseball, but to each his own!


Admittedly, I too, have a problem.

The great part about each September is the beginning of the NFL season.  To me.  I might not be in the majority in this opinion, but there are several million fans that do agree with me.  Unfortunately, I'm not in the majority in my own home.  They are mostly gracious about it and allow me to sit and watch tv all day, especially at the beginning of the season.  As the weeks progress, they find reasons and ways to try to lure me away from watching my team, or any team, if they are good enough!  I have to admit as the season progresses, I do not need my "football fix" as much as I do when the season starts.

But I am also responsible about my addiction!  I have a group of friends that chooses one game each year to attend.  We start planning as soon as the schedules come out in April, make decisions about who is going and where we are staying.  We save up to buy our tickets and have a little spending money for the weekend. We spend one weekend out of the year together, and we  have a good time.  It is usually a wonderful weekend  of bonding time with friends.

 

 

 

How this applies to my family is their tolerance level.  Rachel was originally less tolerant about my love for football, but ultimately has accepted it and allows me my small vice. (She is going to kill me for this graphic!)   The kids just accept that I will be watching a game all day Sunday and find other things to do.  I have tried to justify it by saying that I don't have an expensive hobby or anything that actually takes me away from my family for prolonged periods of time. 

 

So why do I feel guilty?  Is it just the Catholic upbringing rearing its ugly head again?  Do I neglect them in some way or spend money on things that I shouldn't?  I don't think so.  When it is not football season, I do all that I can to spend time doing the things they want to do.  Actually, during the week, I spend most of my time helping with homework, or being an assistant coach, or volunteering to help out at scouts.  Still, the guilt persists.

I have been trying to merge family and football for the past two years, but have been unable to take my family to a professional game yet.  The cost is just prohibitive at this time.  I read an article  a couple of years ago about a reporter taking his family to a Dallas Cowboys game at the new stadium they have in Dallas and the day cost him about $800.  I doubt it would cost us that much for a St. Louis game or even one in Nashville, but it would likely be about half of that.  Tickets, concessions, parking, a hotel... those things add up.  So it has been an unfulfilled dream.  Some day maybe.  Until then, I guess I just have to live with the guilt!