What is Football?

Football like any other sport is just a game. Sometimes people forget that. Perhaps that's because of what the NFL has become. A monopoly that's constantly expanding, a world of politics with commisioners, players associations and contract holdouts. In this age where fans are blatantly taken advantage of with inflation of merchandise, ticket prices, and game coverage it's very easy to be bitter.

But for the fans that tune out the advertising and the greed, what is football really? A game where violence is encouraged. Broken bones, torn ACL's, and concussions are a social norm. What could inspire an individual to partake in such a game, or even play it for a living?

Parents will encourage their children as young as ages 4 or 5 to strap on a helmet and "hit the kid with the ball." High school athletes will voluntarily get up during their summer vacation to practice football twice a day to the point of exhaustion. Universities will give out full ride scholarships for student athletes to play football. College football players can have the option to leave college early without a degree to play in the NFL for a living. NFL players are some of the most overpaid people in the world, and fans will arrive at games hours in advance in any weather conditions and give away their hard earned money to see them play. There is undeniable evidence that football is a priority to a lot of people in this country.

Football is primative. Strategies and complexities of the sport aside, at the end of the day it's about getting a ball past a white line. How could something where competition and violence are the motives be justified in this day and age?

When competition and violence correlate there's no question that bad, even evil things have resulted in the history of mankind. But the means and the cause of the violence are what determines if it's justified. Football is violent but it's not like cavemen hitting each other with sticks, it's a game that has matured and developed over a centuries time. Football takes the deep destruction tendencies in men, the id, the uncontrollable urges of violence in the brain, and turns it into something constructive.

A large group of individuals striving for a single cause: winning. To sacrifice individual succcess for a greater good, that's football. To voluntarily put every ounce of strength one may have into a game is a commitment that doesn't come without struggle. To harness mankinds dark temptation of violence and devote it to teamwork, that's the deeper analysis of football.

The game of football today has come through a long process of evolution. Mankind has gone from gladiators in ancient Rome to the Super Bowl. To the fans, viewing football games has become an addictive drug. And that's why no matter how high the level of greed, fans will devote their hard earned money to the game. Fans will buy jerseys, pay parking fees, walk through the pepsi gate at Metlife Stadium and buy a thirteen dollar beer. All to view a game that the fan has absolutely no individual impact on.

Despite the obvious violence, politics, and greed in football, at the end of the day the game of football is healthy. Obviously not physically when players are carted off the field, but emotionally. Devotion to the game creates moments that are undescribable. After long hours of windsprints, lifting weights, and self-denial, there are single moments that bring satisfaction. That catch, throw, block, or tackle that causes 70,000 fans to cheer and talk about it for years to come is a feeling that must be surreal.

Frankly, football like anything else, is what someone makes of it. It's anywhere from savages running all over the field like lunatics to a brilliant display of strategy and execution. Loyalty to the players, fans, and tradition of the game. That's what's healthy. The believe that a team can overcome insurmountable odds to win.

Football provides belief for players, coaches, and fans on any level. That belief is a philosophy that's good for the heart. It's a simple message that hard work and belief can leave someone at peace. That realization is present, not always knowingly, with every football fan.

Football is good for the soul.