Football, a Dad’s Perspective

The National Football Foundation (NFF) launched Football Matters, to celebrate the positive impact the game has made on millions of players, coaches, administrators, volunteers, and fans nationwide. Debuting in February 2018 at www.footballmatters.com and on social media, Football Matters spotlights and explains the many benefits that football brings to communities, schools, families, and individuals and the opportunities it provides to those on and off the field and at every level. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

We are a football family. My husband and I grew up in the Dallas area and went to college at a university that has an amazing football program. The other evening, I was telling him about Football Matters and their initiative to share the stories surrounding football. We started reminiscing about college and standing on the bleachers for the entire game. We joked about walking home in the rain and not caring one bit about how soaked we were because our team had won! We talked about high school and how our school had a famous on-side kick that made it to the ESPN highlight reel (seriously). He started sharing memories from his childhood and I asked him to contribute a post so that you could hear what was in his sweet thoughts of childhood. He willingly agreed…

{Our son, running Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. We stopped to look through the gate and show the kids the field and a few players let us in. We grabbed a football out of the car and watched the kids make some awesome memories!}

From Brian:

Those moments.

I cherish those moments. The ones I hold onto. The ones that float into and out of my life to remind me of where I’ve been. Who I’ve known. How I’ve gotten here.

Many of these moments begin with the game of football. Some of my earliest memories see me surrounded by laughter, delicious aromas from the kitchen, warm blankets, and frosty windows. We watch the games on Thanksgiving. Uncles jumping excitedly. Aunts breathlessly checking the score. Grandpa smiling quietly. I can see them all. I learned to love here.

I remember playing football in my front yard. Friends from homes near and far would come to sprint, leap, and dive in the summer heat. Warm grass to roll in and hard trees to avoid. Laughter and anguish and cheering. Hot competition, and cool congratulations. I made lifetime friends here.

As I grew, I joined many others in my city playing for the middle school and high school teams. Fear as you walk into the weight room for the first time. Boys of all talents and backgrounds, learning to look each other in the eye and give it their all. Coaches building character. Fathers teaching you how to lose and how to win. Band members practicing for hours for their on-field performance. Cheer teams pushing themselves to new heights. All brought together by football.

In the stands the young, the old. New families and community pillars. All gathered to participate in this pastime. I can feel the air, hear the sounds, and see the lights. I grew my roots here.

Football is a team sport. It brings people together on and off the field. It shows a people with an ever-more-limiting attention span how to work hard, taking time and effort to achieve things you can truly be proud of for a lifetime.

These are football moments.

{Our son, when he was in 7th grade. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown in flag football and I think I yelled ‘Go-Nate!’ at least 47 times in a row!}

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