DGS49
Diamond Member
I’m a “red-blooded” American man. I’m a veteran, I play sports and enjoy watching some spectator sports (baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, and bowling), and I even drive a pickup truck (but sorry…I don’t listen to Country music). And I have no interest whatsoever in American football. I don’t like the game, the people who play it, the people who are obsessed with it, or its effect on the culture. Actually, there are a lot of benefits to not liking football.
· I save lots of money on tickets to high school, college, and NFL football games (and in the case of the local NFL team, paying thousands of dollars for a “seat license”).
· I save lots of money on $5 soft drinks (I don’t drink beer), expensive, soggy Nachos, expensive parking places at football stadia, and paying “tips” to people for showing me where my own fucking seat is in the grandstands.
· I don’t have to sit in the cold and rain (or snow) watching a meaningless game, only because I spent the money on the tickets already and don’t want to waste it.
· I save money on “Steeler” jerseys and other Steeler paraphernalia.
· I have lots of free time on Friday nights (high school football), Saturday afternoons and evenings (college football), and…well, basically, the whole fucking week, when NFL games are played. And believe me, I exploit that free time with hiking, biking, tennis, motorcycle riding, and pet projects around the house.
· In the Fall, on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, I can basically walk onto any golf course I choose and play 9 or 18 holes with no waiting and nobody in front of, or behind, me on the course. It’s just me, my wife, and the occasional Asian, Indian, or Pakistani. Same goes for tennis courts.
· On Friday nights in the Fall I can go to any local restaurant and get a table without waiting, and the wait-staff is not pushing me to leave as soon as I’m done eating, to make way for the people waiting in line (lots of people are at high school football games).
· At the gym where I work out, the machines are basically empty during football games, making it possible to breeze through a workout or take as much time as I want in any activity. An hour on the treadmill? No problem!
· I avoid the endless arguments over which team or player is gooder than the others, and wasting time picking my own “fantasy football” team.
And ironically, I can still enjoy some of the benefits of being a football fan. When the home team wins I get vicarious enjoyment from the glee around me, and participate in the parties and celebrations at work. But on the other hand, I don’t really give a shit when they lose, so I’m spared the misery and soul-searching that happens when somebody missed the field goal (or whatever) that led to the most recent defeat.
It’s funny. Anytime I’m out and about – even in Europe – when I tell people I’m from Pittsburgh, the first thing out of their mouths is, “Steeler fan?”, assuming that I will come back with an emphatic, “YES!” Sometimes I even do say, “yes,” if I’m sure it won’t lead to a detailed discussion. But believe me, I’m quite content not to be a Steeler fan, or a football fan of any kind.
Does that make me a pervert?
· I save lots of money on tickets to high school, college, and NFL football games (and in the case of the local NFL team, paying thousands of dollars for a “seat license”).
· I save lots of money on $5 soft drinks (I don’t drink beer), expensive, soggy Nachos, expensive parking places at football stadia, and paying “tips” to people for showing me where my own fucking seat is in the grandstands.
· I don’t have to sit in the cold and rain (or snow) watching a meaningless game, only because I spent the money on the tickets already and don’t want to waste it.
· I save money on “Steeler” jerseys and other Steeler paraphernalia.
· I have lots of free time on Friday nights (high school football), Saturday afternoons and evenings (college football), and…well, basically, the whole fucking week, when NFL games are played. And believe me, I exploit that free time with hiking, biking, tennis, motorcycle riding, and pet projects around the house.
· In the Fall, on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, I can basically walk onto any golf course I choose and play 9 or 18 holes with no waiting and nobody in front of, or behind, me on the course. It’s just me, my wife, and the occasional Asian, Indian, or Pakistani. Same goes for tennis courts.
· On Friday nights in the Fall I can go to any local restaurant and get a table without waiting, and the wait-staff is not pushing me to leave as soon as I’m done eating, to make way for the people waiting in line (lots of people are at high school football games).
· At the gym where I work out, the machines are basically empty during football games, making it possible to breeze through a workout or take as much time as I want in any activity. An hour on the treadmill? No problem!
· I avoid the endless arguments over which team or player is gooder than the others, and wasting time picking my own “fantasy football” team.
And ironically, I can still enjoy some of the benefits of being a football fan. When the home team wins I get vicarious enjoyment from the glee around me, and participate in the parties and celebrations at work. But on the other hand, I don’t really give a shit when they lose, so I’m spared the misery and soul-searching that happens when somebody missed the field goal (or whatever) that led to the most recent defeat.
It’s funny. Anytime I’m out and about – even in Europe – when I tell people I’m from Pittsburgh, the first thing out of their mouths is, “Steeler fan?”, assuming that I will come back with an emphatic, “YES!” Sometimes I even do say, “yes,” if I’m sure it won’t lead to a detailed discussion. But believe me, I’m quite content not to be a Steeler fan, or a football fan of any kind.
Does that make me a pervert?