Pre-Season Blahs

This past weekend, NFL football returned to our TV's with (insert yawn here), Pre-Season games. Many friends at the hometown bar asked me if I was excited. No, no I'm not. This came as a great surprise to all them, as I am a pretty rabid football fan. But, as I explained to them, and now here for your amusement, are my reasons:

1.) It's a Joke: I don't really care to watch sub par players missing passes, receptions, & tackles. Sorry, just not interested.

2.) The NFL & I have been on Rocky Footing for 3 years now: I shocked my husband a few years ago, when I gave the NFL a probation period in which to get their shit together. It has become more about the glitz, money, endorsements, scandals, and keeping the players from getting hurt (aka in JHC terms "sissifying the game.") than actually about the game. Game. Hmmm, there's a thought. Hello dumbasses, of course you're going to get hurt--it's physical, the players are huge, it's fast, and involves tackling as a major component. No one likes to see a player get hurt, but it is a real and necessary part of the true game. Large humans tackling other large humans will result in concussions, broken bones, soft tissue injuries, etc., and guess what, they all get paid an insane amount of money to do their jobs, of which they all sign on for. So, please do me (& a shit ton of other fans) a favor, let them do their jobs.

3.) It's Still Summer: When Pre-Season Football comes on, it signals the close of summer, and that my friends, is one of the most depressing times for me. Don't get me wrong, I like the Fall, but it's not Summer with it's hot and humid days, beach trips and me, as a reptile, actually being comfortable for a minute. Summer is the time when friends get together, hang out on boats, patio time, and warm bliss hangs around for 3 months. Summer brings smiles and hope and pure joy to me, as it sends me to the beach to bask in the hot sun, put my toes in the sand & watch the waves. I am NOT ready to let that go yet, even if greedy TV people and the NFL are trying to tell me to and I will hang on with scraping finger nails until the Tuesday after Labor Day.

4.) Baseball is Still On: Though mid August and baseball is coming into it's final months (that's a whole other post,) 'the boys of summer' are in full swing and quite frankly, I still give a shit.

5.) I'm An Opinionated Pain In the Ass: I've been repeatedly told that I should be thankful that there even is a Pre-Season, due to the conflict of the Lock Out. No, not really. Again, I find Pre Season to be a joke and boring and truly, not worth my viewing time. If I ruled the NFL world, the players would still be in training camp, conditioning and honing skills to prevent injuries and lack luster performances in the first 5 weeks. But yes, that's just my opinion.

I don't rule the NFL world and honestly, to each his/her own. But no, I will not watch Pre-Season and truly, this may be my last season of seriously paying attention to the Sunday games. Moving kick off yardage, and other silly, silly new rules ruins the game for me that I grew up with. The players have better protective equipment on the field in modern time than ever before, so let them use it. Granted, penalize the 'dirty' plays, and using common sense, we all know what they are, but let the Linebackers tackle the QB, let the Corners take out a Receiver...because that IS the game. And come September, I just may tune in.