The Sports Corner

"How can you not be romantic about football, man?" asked Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers moments after he had led his team down the field for a game-winning field goal against The San Francisco 49ers on September 26. Rodgers and the Packers were faced with slim odds to escape San Francisco with a victory as the 49ers scored the go ahead touchdown with only 37 seconds remaining. The 17-year veteran quarterback wasn't willing to accept defeat however as he completed two perfect passes to star receiver Davante Adams to set Green Bay up for the game winning kick. As the 51-yard kick sailed through the uprights to propel the Packers to victory, Rodgers could be seen jumping for joy and hugging his coaches.

For some, this display of childhood exuberance might seem silly, but for football fans like myself, Rodger's reaction was completely understandable. How is it possible for a seemingly trivial, inherently brutal sport to invoke so much emotion? For me, the answer comes down to the immense sacrifice required from players, families and community members to succeed in the sport. While that might seem obvious to an extent, I'd like to share my personal experience to try to further explain why so much of America has a deep emotional investment in the game of football.

I played a little bit of football growing up. There aren't many memories from my short playing career (aside from my one career touchdown as a sixth grader) as the high school I attended in Illinois didn't have enough students to field a football team. To say that I had some unfulfilled football dreams would be an understatement. Luckily for me, my younger brother Sam had taken an interest in football and went to a school that actually had a team. Little did Sam know that his older brother was going to be living out his football dreams vicariously through him. That's a lot of pressure for a fourth grader!

While Sam wasn't a star by any means in his earliest playing days, he was always one of the bigger kids on the field. This led to my brother being assigned by his coaches to play on the offensive and defensive lines. In football, a lineman, particularly an offensive lineman, is tasked with doing the "dirty work" that typically goes unrecognized. Going unrecognized is something that neither Sam, nor I, had any interest in, so we set out to train Sam to become a tight-end. In doing so, he would be able to catch touchdown passes and become the star of the team. While Sam made some highlight-worthy catches in the backyard, his coaches never thought twice to remove him from the line. His physical strength combined with his humble attitude made my brother the ultimate lineman. While I was disappointed Sam wouldn't be receiving touchdown passes or very much glory, I began to slowly understand what the game of football was truly about.

As the years went by it became apparent that my little brother had a bright future as a lineman. My mother and stepdad recognized this and invested their time and resources into helping Sam realize his potential. This investment ranged from my step-dad taking Sam to off-season training sessions to my mother coaching the cheerleading squad and hosting the football team for spaghetti dinners at our home. It was a year-round commitment that became a nearly full time job once the season began. I couldn't fail to mention my two younger sister's contributions as they attended nearly all of Sam's games and were always understanding of the time restraints that football put on my parents.

While our family had to make sacrifices to facilitate Sam's football career, it paled in comparison to what my brother went through. As the other kids slowly caught up to his physical size and strength, Sam had to work that much harder to maintain his advantage. Aside from the demands of school and football, he had to lift weights religiously and eat at a huge caloric surplus to develop and maintain the mass required to compete at a high level. Although he was a naturally big kid, he was now lining up against much larger players that held a physical advantage over him. It took constant maintenance and dedication to be able to make it through the season healthy, let alone be effective.

By the time my brother entered his senior year of high school we had become a full blown football family. Sam's team won their conference that season and Sam was named to the all-conference team as an offensive lineman. It was extremely gratifying to everyone in the family for Sam to finally receive recognition for all of his hard work and unselfishness over the years. To see the words "all-conference" next to my brother's name in the paper was a thrill I'll never forget.

When I think back on my brother's football career I won't think of the awards and accolades he received at the end. I'll remember things like my step-dad working on the "chain gang" in the freezing rain, or my mom whipping up a world class post game meal, or my sisters spending so many Friday nights rooting for their brother, or Sam icing his shins after another brutal training session, or the feeling of giving Sam a big hug after a tough defeat. I'll remember, above all else, the personal sacrifices from everyone that went into my brother's success and the love we shared as a family.

While my "football family" is special to me, we certainly weren't unique. There are many families here in Sanders County that share a similar story, some of which will be concluding in a few weeks as seniors strap on the helmet for the last time. As we cheer on our local football teams to finish the season strong, let's not forget to appreciate the sacrifice, love and commitment that made it all possible. It's hard not to be romantic about that, man.

Max Poelker wants to talk sports with you. Reach him at [email protected].