How Important is Football to Our Country?
Just how important is football to our nation and each of us individually?
A recent article by Robin Lundberg on Sports Illustrated's website started the thought process for me to ask myself and others just how important football is in the grand scheme of things.
As a sports writer and site publisher for Sports Illustrated's Commodore Country, football, and sports are vitally important to me because they provide an income that supports my family and me. However, in the last few months that we have been without them, I've come to realize a few things personally.
One, I realized just how much time I spent on them and how much I have missed from the family perspective.
I have an incredible wife, three awesome daughters, a son-in-law, and two boyfriends along with five grandchildren, two of whom play youth soccer. Those games often time occur early on Saturday mornings in the fall. I don't know the number of games I've missed, but there have been some.
Before my time covering Vanderbilt, I spent years on the NFL beat with the Tennessee Titans, and can't count the number of trips I've made. Some by plane, others to close destinations like Indianapolis, Atlanta, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Charlotte by car.
Covering Vanderbilt last year, there were late nights on the road driving back after games in Oxford, Lexington, Tuscaloosa, and Knoxville, to name a few.
Basketball season meant late nights at home too, and time away from those closest to me.
Then there were the games I watched just because I wanted to do so, again missing time with the family.
I'm not complaining mind you, because that would be dumb. It would also be a lie because, as a sports fan from a young age, I never imagined I'd be getting paid to watch sports while getting free admissions, food, and drinks-water, of course- in the process.
At the same time, being able to spend the last few months still writing about the lack of actual sports from the comfort of my own home, and being with the family during this pandemic has brought a new level of conscience and importance to me personally.
I'm fortunate to have still both my parents, who are in their 70's with my dad in poor health. I've had to undertake precautions for his health and safety, just like everyone else. I've also not spent much time with him because of those cautions.
It's made me realize that while sports are a vital part of my life, other things have suffered because of them. I know I'm not alone. These are the same sacrifices that every other person in a similar position face, but then I'm the only one who can recognize these things for me.
Yes, I'm ready to return to live sports and looking forward to them, but this season I will also be far more aware of what's most important to me and know exactly what I'm missing in the trade-off with sports.
I can't answer my initial question fo how important football is to our nation with any certainty. I can venture to guess that ranks high on the list, but like me, just how important it is for each individual is up to them personally to decide.
Follow Greg on Twitter @GregAriasSports and @SIVanderbilt or Facebook at Vanderbilt Commodores-Maven.
