Fantastic: How Football Affects the American People

October 4, 2023

While baseball is called America’s game, nothing is truly as American as football. Backyard barbecues, fantasy leagues, and the Super Bowl all represent something that little else truly captures: the American spirit of camaraderie and competition.

A couple weeks ago the NFL season began, and if your families are anything like mine, it means that every Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday the TV displays guys in big uniforms and helmets clashing to score points and grab the win.

My father and his father before him have been deeply involved in football their entire lives and even if I haven’t been directly involved playing football since I was little or participated in fantasy leagues, it has still played a part in my life.

The Super Bowl especially has played a part in my life and many Americans can also attest to that. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been traveling to my dad’s friends’ houses to watch “the big game” and partying with them, even though I was getting excited over something I didn’t really understand. Nevertheless, the bonds that I made with my family and friends were very understandable for my childish brain. The passion I see from fans of the sport gives me great respect for them, and despite how intense they can be about these passions, the loyalty they show to their favorite teams is admirable.

As the season progresses, the tensions in fantasy football leagues all across the country grow more intense. These leagues are another tradition that is unmistakably American. The friendly competition of wanting the players you pick to play well, mixed with the tensions of potential penalties and punishments for losing, make for the perfect activity to participate in with your friends at any age. So much so that this year we even have our very own league here at school, with many of our students participating.

To summarize, the impact football has on American society is vast, and the sense of identity the sport grants us allows us to put aside our differences and enjoy something widely considered a national pastime.