Yes, it is. I enjoyed it but I am not unhappy about it ending. The last gasp of the dying season was the Superbowl, the final matchup between the two greatest teams in the world—or so we are told. I can now have my Sabbath rest. For people who don’t follow football closely, I will offer some profound insights.
The Superbowl is the apex of the American football season, and it includes a halftime show that I have never watched. I am told by friends, however, that it is not worth watching, so I don’t feel culturally deprived, even if I can’t understand what my friends are talking about.
But back to what we call football, the proper name for soccer, which is when a ball is kicked with the foot. People from other countries most often refer to our game of football as “gridiron,” although I was never sure why. However, by consulting an Internet source, I learned that the name is “because the original fields were marked with parallel lines that created a grid pattern similar to a cooking gridiron.” I guess that makes sense, or at least as much sense as calling the football a “pigskin,” even though it is made of cowhide.
The Superbowl game this year was number 59, or rather LIX for those who prefer Latin, and the first one was played on January 15, 1967. Ever since it has been the highest-rated TV program in the United States. My grandson(s) watch it in Australia as well.
National Football players are big: they average 6’2” and weigh 245 lbs. However, this year the offensive line (5 players who line up ahead of the quarterback, who is the “playmaker”) and running back (the “halfback—there is also a “fullback” but no “1/8th back”) were enormous in size. The Eagles (the team from Philadelphia) offensive line averaged 6’6” and 345 lbs. Their stomach hung out like old car bumpers, and they looked like mean customers.
When the Eagles were within two or three yards of the goal line, their quarterback would get as close as possible to the big boys and fall forward. The five Giants would push forward with the quarterback on them, and they would score a touchdown (6 points). That seems very unfair, and I believe the rules should be changed so they would be awarded only one point.
The playing field is 100 yards long and 53.3 yards wide (160 feet), and it has line marks every 10 yards. The team with the ball needs to go 10 yards in four tries. That doesn’t seem difficult until you see the size of the defensive line. They also have enormous bodies and hazardous tattoo markings, causing extreme fear and problems for the offensive team.
As I said, the quarterback is the playmaker, and he generally lines up in the “shotgun” formation. He is 5-7 yards behind the “center” whose duty it is to pass the ball to the quarterback between his legs and while hunched over. The quarterback may either hand off the ball to his halfback or throw it downfield to a “tight end,” a player who is tall and used to getting whacked in the head. In either case, the quarterback throws or hands off the ball as if came from a shotgun. Sometimes the gun misses the target, and the quarterback may be “sacked.” When a 350-pound tackle lands on him, the quarterback leaves his body impression on the turf and may then be carted off to the tent for “observation.”
The tent is like the examination room in a third-world hospital. It is mainly to get the quarterback or other player out of sight so the audience cannot see what is happening. Probably they are asking the injured player complicated medical questions like, “What is your name?” “What day is it?” “What team are you playing?” and so forth. If the answers are reasonably accurate (they can be off by a day or two), the player will return to “action,” although slightly confused and bruised.
In the old days, the offensive players would form a “huddle” and slap hands when they remembered what the quarterback said. He might say white 80” then “kill kill,” or “can-can” (for cancel I guess) if they are not going to do what they first thought. Calling plays can be complex and confusing, so most quarterbacks wear an armband with play numbers on it. This also helps the quarterback if he has been sacked and is still somewhat confused.
There is a lot happening on the football field and I must leave out most of the action, except for the “kicker,” who either “punts” when his team has not gotten their 10 yards, or tries for a “field goal,” if they are within 50 yards of the two upright poles that are 18’ 5” tall, with a crossbar at 10 feet above the ground.
It takes precision and enormous leg strength to kick a football 50 yards. The kicker is aided by the “holder,” who receives the ball from the center and places it at the proper place on the ground, laces away from the kicker’s foot, and prays he will not be kicked in the jaw. Many good kickers now come from Australia where, because it is “down under,” there are kangaroos to contend with, and the kickers have learned to be more ferocious and accurate.
The longest field goal kicked (to date) was by Justin Tucker when he nailed the ball through the uprights 68 yards away. Tucker is from Canada, but he must have had coaching from the Aussies.
That is all the football I have time for this season. Now it is hockey, basketball, and soon, baseball. However, they all play on the Sabbath.
Karl Franklin
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