Well, next weekend is the last weekend of the regular NFL season. That means that the 15 weeks of the 2008 season have come and gone... And I didn't watch a single game. If you had told me back in 1998 that a year would come when I totally didn't watch football- well, I'm not sure what I would have thought, but I would have given you a funny look at least.
I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I guess primarily it came be blamed on geography. As a kid I grew up in Atlanta (Georgia and Virginia both, actually... But Virginia does not have a pro football team) and I fell right into the whole Falcons thing, especially when Jerry Glanville took over as head coach in 1990. That was when the Falcons switched their colors to black, and the Glanville-esque attitude really took effect in a whirlwind of renewed enthusiasm from fans all over, especially as we won all of our pre-season games that year. A few years later the Georgia Dome was opened, and that had all eyes on the Falcons once again, especially with the hype of the upcoming 2006 Olympics, which were to be held there (in Atlanta- with many of the events taking place in the Georgia Dome).
Two years later in 1998 (ten years ag0) the Falcons finally made it to the playoffs, and into the Superbowl the following early 1999. That was an exciting season for me. My parents got me tickets to the final game that year, and I drove down to Georgia for it. My friend Steve drove up from Florida, and we went together. We won that game, and went on to play Minnesota in the NFC Championship game the following week… And we won? Yes, we did. The Falcons beat the undefeated Vikings and went, for the first time in franchise history, to the Superbowl.
Where they were stomped by Denver. *cough*
Anyway, the following year I took a job that moved me out west. And as the years went by, and I moved further and further from the east coast, it just became harder and harder to follow a team from Atlanta. Long story short- I thought that when I moved to Phoenix in 2006 that I might find renewed enthusiasm for the NFL, since I was now in a city that had a pro football team again. But when I got here I found the local fans to be apathetic at best, and I just never got into it myself, either.
So, here we are, 10 years from “The Year” and I honestly can’t remember the last time I watched a football game, much less a Falcons game. Tonight, partly from nostalgia, partly from boredom, I went to nfl.com just to see how the season had shaped up, and I was surprised to see that the Falcons (at 10-5) had clinched a wildcard slot! They will be going to the playoffs again. (And, for those of you here in Arizona with me, so will the Cardinals, by the way). So, if I’d had any enthusiasm this year and watched the season, I probably would have had a pretty exciting time with it! Oh well.
Next Sunday the Falcons host the Rams, and the Cardinals host the Seahawks. It will be the final games of the regular season. Maybe I’ll actually watch one of those games. Anybody feeling it for some football?
I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I guess primarily it came be blamed on geography. As a kid I grew up in Atlanta (Georgia and Virginia both, actually... But Virginia does not have a pro football team) and I fell right into the whole Falcons thing, especially when Jerry Glanville took over as head coach in 1990. That was when the Falcons switched their colors to black, and the Glanville-esque attitude really took effect in a whirlwind of renewed enthusiasm from fans all over, especially as we won all of our pre-season games that year. A few years later the Georgia Dome was opened, and that had all eyes on the Falcons once again, especially with the hype of the upcoming 2006 Olympics, which were to be held there (in Atlanta- with many of the events taking place in the Georgia Dome).
Two years later in 1998 (ten years ag0) the Falcons finally made it to the playoffs, and into the Superbowl the following early 1999. That was an exciting season for me. My parents got me tickets to the final game that year, and I drove down to Georgia for it. My friend Steve drove up from Florida, and we went together. We won that game, and went on to play Minnesota in the NFC Championship game the following week… And we won? Yes, we did. The Falcons beat the undefeated Vikings and went, for the first time in franchise history, to the Superbowl.
Where they were stomped by Denver. *cough*
Anyway, the following year I took a job that moved me out west. And as the years went by, and I moved further and further from the east coast, it just became harder and harder to follow a team from Atlanta. Long story short- I thought that when I moved to Phoenix in 2006 that I might find renewed enthusiasm for the NFL, since I was now in a city that had a pro football team again. But when I got here I found the local fans to be apathetic at best, and I just never got into it myself, either.
So, here we are, 10 years from “The Year” and I honestly can’t remember the last time I watched a football game, much less a Falcons game. Tonight, partly from nostalgia, partly from boredom, I went to nfl.com just to see how the season had shaped up, and I was surprised to see that the Falcons (at 10-5) had clinched a wildcard slot! They will be going to the playoffs again. (And, for those of you here in Arizona with me, so will the Cardinals, by the way). So, if I’d had any enthusiasm this year and watched the season, I probably would have had a pretty exciting time with it! Oh well.
Next Sunday the Falcons host the Rams, and the Cardinals host the Seahawks. It will be the final games of the regular season. Maybe I’ll actually watch one of those games. Anybody feeling it for some football?
1 comment:
Are you ready for some football. AZ has been holing their own this year. I must admit to being a Denver fan. I watched through tear misted eyes as I watched them lose Superbowl games (I feel your pain) BUT, when they finally pulled it out and won...you would think that was enough... The icing on my cake-literally-it was on MY BIRTHDAY.
woo hoo!
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