US football

I hVe been watching pro-football all my life, having come from a part of the US where college football never gained a foothold, it has always been the pros that I followed.

his year when the J-E-T-S were in the AFC division final it of course brought back memories of Broadway Joe and the upstart Jets of 1968. That super bowl III win 48 years ago really started my lifelong calling as a sports fan.

Growing up I had mt room covered in posters of Joe Namath, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Stan Smith and Arthur Ashe (my contemporaries had Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy on their walls and I had to explain over and over who these people were that I chose to have on my walls). I still have the mangled programs from the Knicks series against the Celtics in the 70s. In fact I chose to go to college in New England so I would still be able to follow my beloved Knicks in the papers since they were in the same division as the Celtics. No thank you University of Michigan and Penn State. Boston University here I come.

I have inherited a peculiar sports watching gene from my father. I remember watching football on TV with him and during a big play as the player approached the end zone and the announcer's voice reached a fever pitch - my father (seated as usual on our piano bench) moved in the same direction as the potentially scorring player until he went right off the end of the bench and landed on the floor. This necessitated him watching sports with the volume turned off, and I find myself doing the same thing.

I remember once my parents were entertaining some of their friends and the talk had turned to football - however, my father being host then left the room to make and serve cocktails to their guests. Upon his return he was unaware that the topic of conversation had changed to Charlie's Angels, and he promptly said, "when it's on TV I have to turn off the volume because I get too excited watching it" which resulted in perplexed silence and some early departures.

So, do I think it is strange that I put a Red Sox game or tennis grand slam final on the TV in my bedroom with no sound, and if the score is close, watch it with binoculars from the other room? Absolutely not. It is nature AND nurture in my case.

Sometimes it is great to have your home team crash and burn and be able to enjoy the sport for the sport, as it will be with this year's Super Bowl. The binoculars are in their case. I am ready to watch the game close up.