How Important is Football to Our Country Part II

The question of 'how important is football to our country" has recently become a talking point in this nation as college football conferences, NFL and high school athletic associations across the country battle COVID-19, and those who opposed playing the sport during a pandemic.

On Wednesday, Commodore Country took an introspective look at its importance to me personally as a sports journalist, and what I've discovered over the last five months was surprising.

So now, we move forward and attempt to gain some sense of importance to fans.

It would be impossible to gauge the entirety of football fans nationwide, so this is a very unscientific study done with the help fo social media. Using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we asked the question of followers the question.

There were four answers given in the poll, and while the outcome wasn't shocking, there were some folks who place far greater importance on the game than the majority.

Of those responding, the majority feel that when it comes to football, they "Love it, but it's not tops" as to importance in their lives. Looking at the percentages on Twitter, 52.5%, just over half, fell into this category.

Surprisingly perhaps, at least to this writer was those choosing "It's life or death to me," where 30.5% of those voting on Twitter choose this category.

From there, 13.6% say they"Can survive without it," while the final 3.4% chose "Who cares" as to its value in their lives. A total of 318 people responded in all, and those doing so through Facebook and Instagram held similar numbers to those on Twitter.

Again, there is no science to this, and if all fans nationwide were polled, the numbers could be far different.

However, for those like myself who have lived without sports for the first time in our lives over the last five months, I suspect that many have found a new appreciation for their love of the game versus the balance in their lives.

Currently, as a collective, I believe we need sports and football, in particular, to help people feel some sense of normalcy while our world continues to be turned upside down. This season will take on new importance in that sense, but hopefully, others will realize that there are things far more important than football, or sports in general.

Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven.

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