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I Missed Out On the Football Gene

During this cold and flu season, my community now suffers from a new epidemic, Football Fever. The home team, the Denver Broncos, will try on Sunday to capture the coveted Super Bowl trophy. This event has become a new holiday in America. Many in my family plan to celebrate by hosting parties and wearing their Peyton Manning jerseys. Me, not so much.

Football was not a big deal in my early days. I do not recall anything near this football mania back then, so it never became a part of my psyche. Football was just something my Dad had played in his youth and later watched on TV. He liked football.

My father had been a receiver on the Loveland High School and the Colorado State College of Education teams. His long arms pulled in the ball many times for touchdowns.

After that, he became a life-long fan of the Green Bay Packers. My brother and I used to bet him a penny on their games. In the 50’s, we usually won our bets. Consequently, we were interested only in the final game score, not in watching the play on our grainy, black-and-white television.

My brother did not follow our Dad into the football world. He preferred individual sports like bicycling and cross-country skiing. Today, like me, he does not follow the sport. My Dad remained the sole football fan in my family. He did not pass the Love For Team Sports gene on to us.

But now I live in the Denver area, a sports-crazy place if ever there was one. Everyone seems to be a Bronco fan. I see orange clothing and decorations everywhere.

Will I participate in the frenzy? Well, I did join in the extended family’s annual Super Bowl pool, which I have actually won a couple of times over the years. I purchased some junk food to eat during the game. While it is on, I plan to catch up on my reading and watch the commercials and half-time show. For old time’s sake, I might bet a penny on the game outcome with my grandchildren. They definitely have Football Fever.

2 Responses to “I Missed Out On the Football Gene”

  • Tony:

    It’s not only football – Denver has the dubious honor of having the most pro sports teams of any city – and I think the only city with 7 major pro sports teams:

    Baseball
    Rockies
    Denver Zephyrs -minor

    Basketball
    Nuggets
    Chill – womens
    14ers – minor

    Football
    Crush – arena
    Pirates – minor
    Ice – indoor
    Dream – lingerie
    Broncos

    Hockey
    Avalanche
    Eagles – minor
    Cutthroats – minor

    Lacrosse
    Outlaws
    Mammoth

    Soccer
    Rapids
    Dynamite – arena

    Polo
    Denver Polo

    Croquet
    Denver Croquet Club

    Volleyball
    Team Evergreen

    Rugby
    Glendale Raptors
    Denver Highlanders
    Denver Barbarians

    Cricket
    Jaguars

    Water Polo
    Force – womens

    Curling
    Denver Curling Club

  • I am not a football fan either. Our high school was too small to have a team & I never learned about it. I do enjoy the commercials & snack foods!

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