Are You Ready For Some Football?

I'm not sure when I became a die-hard football fan.  I have no sports ability and not much interest in participating as a spectator or otherwise.  I had been to a bunch of college games and even a Forty Niners game, which scared the living daylights out of me.  I had never been surrounded with so much testosterone-driven aggression in my life.  Not on the field -- in the stands!  In those days, I didn't understand the game and was probably more interested in watching the cheerleaders.  I think I may have become hooked on it when the Niners were winning Super Bowls on a regular basis.  It would have been un-San Franciscan not to run out into the street and cheer with the neighbors when the Niners won a game, or not to go down to Market Street and cheer them in their post-Super Bowl victory parades!   Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott and my all time favorite, Jerry Rice worked their spectacular magic and I have been a fan ever since.  Watching it all on TV where I was not surrounded by scary fans helped! 

I still love my Niners, but when I moved to Nashville ten years ago, I began to be a Titans fan.  This was against my partner Laura's best advice.  She is still annoyed about the stadium being built with taxpayer's money and the owner given all kinds of breaks.  I wasn't here for that part, so I just root for the home team,
unless they are playing the Niners, which can only happen in the pre-season or at the Super Bowl, since the Titans are an AFC team and the Niners are in the NFC. 

Every year, the Titans fans hope they'll make it to the Super Bowl.  Every year, something happens at the last minute to knock them out of the competition.  In the past ten years, I have learned the one consistent thing about the Titans is that they are inconsistent.  Two years ago, with a record of 16 games and no losses, they were knocked out of the competition in the very first game of the playoffs.  Last year, they lost the first six games, won all the rest and still lost in the playoffs.  So far this year, they are 4-2 and in a three way tie for the division championship.  Who knows what they will do?  Their defense is one of the best in the league and their offense is fairly spectacular this year.  They're a young team and they just keep getting better. 

The Titans have a serious rivalry with the Jacksonville Jaguars because one of the Jacksonville players once spit on the Titan's coach's wife.  That created some bad blood that only grows worse as time passes.  Last night, the Titans beat the Jaguars 30-3 on the Jaguars own home field.  The Jacksonville fans looked stunned.  The coach was grim-faced. It was a sweet victory. 

Maybe this year...


Image: nationalsportsbeat.com