My fellow temps and I decided to take a lunch out the other day and as we walked into the Panera, we ordered and picked up our lunches and we sought a place to sit. We chatted lightly and as I looked around I was amazed at all the purple surrounding us. Everywhere I looked men, women, even kids, were sporting Ravens jerseys. And if anyone didn't have a jersey, they were at least wearing a dark shade of purple. One man, who was getting up from his table remarked jovially to us, saying "Can't believe they let her in here without purple on!" (indicating one of the girls). That set us on the conversation about the game, which they both partook of, while I sipped my broccoli cheddar soup and thought about my relationship with football.
As I'm pretty sure I've made abundantly clear, I'm not much of a football fanatic. I was forced to play flag football as a kid in gym class, and when it comes to watching games, I usually preferred something--ANYTHING--instead. And while I always thought I wasn't alone on this, especially with the female population, as I went to college I really began to notice that everyone, girls included, would clamor in front of the television to watch a football game. It started with the Towson Tigers, then the craze among my friends became all about the Ravens.
In the beginning I found the whole game amazingly frustrating. My friends talked me into going with them to a Towson Tigers game, and in between their excited hoots and hollers they tried painstakingly to explain the game to me. Still, I found with every answer at least five more questions to ask. And if it wasn't frustrating, it was boring. Way too often the game would just stop, right when I was finally getting excited about some action. I ended up tuning out before the dance team and school band took the field. I chalked it up to just "not being my thing."
I also never felt the pressure to invest much interest because my high school boyfriend wasn't much of a fan either. Though I often wished he had been, I also enjoyed the fact that he never insisted on canceling plans to watch or force me to join him. Years later, when I took up with Joe, things changed. Not only was he a fan, he used to play in high school. Suddenly the fall meant apple picking, scary movies, and football-watching.
Joe tried to get me into the games, but for the most part my eyes glazed over or I'd sneak away to watch something else. Then, when the Giants were in the Superbowl he INSISTED I go with him to watch at the local sports bar. I'd agreed, trying to be a good sport, and much to my surprise I actually had a good time. I found myself cheering along or ooh-ing whenever a player got "sacked" (i think that's the term).
And last year, when our office had a Superbowl pool going I actually won $100! I thought, if this is football, I can get in on this. Still, though I doubt I'll ever be a true fan of the game, I do like what football does for the town, especially with the Ravens.
There's something comforting in the unity it brings to the citizens of Baltimore. You get a certain pride when you drive into the city and see the skyscrapers with big beams of purple light extending up their length. I like the camaraderie that comes with watching the games together, how the tailgating is an event of its own, with all the food and drinks and talking. I even like when I open a local supermarket circular and I see something called the "Flacco Italian Submarine".
Baltimore gets alot of crap for it's drug and violence-related reputation. But for a little while the city turns into a small town, with everyone rooting for the same thing, high-fiving strangers and sharing their own knowledge of the game. And it lasts...well, at least until November.
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