Rooting For Big Blue In Person

I don’t go to a lot of professional sporting events in person for two reasons.
One is that I prefer to watch games in the comfort of my own home on TV and the other is that in many cases going to a game becomes an all-day event because of the travel involved. With that said I still accepted an invitation from my brother to attend yesterday’s Giants-Redskins game in the Meadowlands on the opening Sunday of the NFL season. I did so because not only did he get the tickets but they were for a luxury suite complete with food and drink.

For years I have said that football is truly our national pastime and when you attend a game in person you become more convinced than ever of that. Where else can you see grown men (and women) dressed at times more appropriately for Halloween than a Sunday sporting event? I have never been one to wear jerseys of my favorite teams feeling that once you get to a certain age its best left for younger fans. But as you walk through the parking lot at Giants Stadium it’s apparent that not wearing a jersey has you in the minority as fans of all ages and sizes wear the number of their favorite players, past and present. You still see a few #58’s for Lawrence Taylor and 11’s for Phil Simms on some of the older fans but the most popular seem to be Eli Manning’s #10, Brandon Jacobs’ 27 and the #72 worn by Osi Umenyiora.

Football fans love to shout and scream and make a lot of noise. While a couple of cold ones in the parking lot may fuel their fire a game is more than anything a chance to escape reality. For those three plus hours you’re in the stadium you are not a teacher, lawyer or construction worker but a Giants fan, surrounded by about 77,000 of your friends. You might have been miserable when you woke up and you might be miserable when you go to sleep but cheering for your team from 4-7pm is pure joy. That’s football.

I am not one of those passionate Giants fans. While “Big Blue” is my favorite NFL team I call myself more of a “rooter” than a fan. What I did enjoy yesterday was being with my son and brother in a suite with plenty to eat and drink and TV’s to watch the other NFL games as well. I was wearing a Monmouth University Football golf shirt….at least its blue.