Sunday Salon - February 7

It's no secret by now that I love football--at any level. But I was reminded once again, when I did a search for football books, that "football" is not universally the same thing. When I pulled up the first page of results, I was surprised not to recognize a single title. Then I realized my mistake--for most of the world "football" is what we, in the U.S., call soccer. I guess I should clarify, when I say that I love football, what I really mean is that I love the game where almost none of the game is played using the feet. Something else I guess I knew but was reminded of when I did my search is that you can read a book about almost any aspect of football from almost any angle. There are books by coaches and players; books that are instructional and books that are statistical; books about specific games; and books written about football at any level: Pop Warner, high school, college and professional. The Blind Side is only the most recent football book to be made into a movie. Others made into movies, that also make good reads, are Paper Lion: Confessions of A Last String Quarterback, Friday Night Lights, and Semi Tough.









Needless to say, then, that I'll be in front of my television tonight as the Indianapolis Colts take on the underdog, but undefeated, New Orleans Saints. I'll be cheering for the Saints--I'm a big fan of underdogs especially when the underdog hasn't ever been to the Super Bowl before. And when it's all over, I'll slip into a bit of a funk--I don't quite know what to do with myself when that last game is played. There's always Australian rules football to look forward to, I guess.