by Alan R.
September 11, 2011, is the first day of the Giants 2011 season. It is also the 10th anniversary of the most dastardly act ever perpetrated on the citizens of this great country along with the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, another Sunday when the Giants were playing football.
It is apparent that to many the start of the Giants’ NFL season is some sort of special day. I hate to be a “party pooper” but it is not. It is just the start of one more professional sports season.
The performance of the Giants this year or any year will not really affect our lives. There will still be those that want to destroy us, there will still be hundreds of thousands of US kids in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and God knows where else that will not be able to see the game and unfortunately may not see nightfall, there will still be tensions in the Middle East, and we still will not have a cure for cancer.
All that the Giants – Redskins game is today is a three-hour diversion from whatever drudgery we face every day in our lives. In reality, all you are doing is rooting for laundry.
Last year, WR Steve Smith was a hero, today, he will be a bum. Last year, DT Barry Cofield was the source of your cheers; today, he will be the foe. The laundry stays the same (and no one really cares what pants they wear) and the human beings inside change. We root for laundry, nothing more.
I have followed the Giants since 1947 when I saw my first game at the Polo Grounds. I have enjoyed the good and suffered through the very bad. I have been fortunate enough to have a number of friends who have played for the team during the years and they have been amused by the comments of the modern day fan, many of whom have never played the game.
They scoff at those who worry about their “Fantasy Football” teams while at the same time not knowing the basic rules of the game or the concepts within which it is played. They shake their heads at some of the discussions that are found on the various websites. They smile at those who throw around terms like “Mike” and “Will” and “Sam” while not knowing that “Wanda,” “Sara” and “Meg” were once used to describe the same positions.
The Giants – Redskins game today — and any of the NFL games for that mater — are really not that important. What is important is that we, as a country come through the day whole, that you have your health, that you love your spouse and that e/she loves you back, that your kids are doing well, and that you have a roof over your head and a good meal at the end of the day.
Whether you wear a blue Justin Tuck jersey, or a white Eli Manning jersey — no one really cares nor does it make a difference. You will not have had an iota of impact on the outcome despite your thoughts to the contrary. The Giants will win or lose, life will go on, and hopefully we all get up Monday morning and go on with our lives.
Today I will miss the first hour of the game, as I along with a group of folks will be helping deliver lunches to the first responders in our town who will be on duty so that the rest of us can sit in our homes and root for our favorite team.
I will be fortunate enough to catch up by the end of the afternoon assuming that the DVR works and I can cut through the commercials — and if I cannot, it is no big deal.
Many of those who will be on duty will not get to see their favorite team until late in the evening or at all. They are the American heroes (along with the folks in our armed forces and those who perished in the WTC, the Pentagon or on Flight 93), not some rookie linebacker who is getting more than $30,000 or a defensive end who will make $150,000+ to play a single game. Recognize and understand what is important and what is not.
So at the end of the day, kiss your spouse, hug your kid or your dog, thank the next police office or firefighter that you see, and give thanks for the three hours of (possible) enjoyment that you had.
But please keep it all in perspective. It could be gone in a heartbeat.
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