It’s been a rough couple of weeks for football fans in the Pacific Northwest. First, the Oregon Ducks’ dream of hitting the ultimate trifecta and bringing home the Heisman, Rose Bowl and National Championship trophies all in the same season suddenly turn into a nightmare as they were mowed down by the buzz saw that was Ezekiel Elliot and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Then, only a few weeks later, the Northwest’s other flagship football power would not only match, but far exceed, the Ducks championship game misery, as the Seattle Seahawks used quite possibly the worst play call in the history of organized sport to (literally) throw away their chance at back-to-back Super Bowl wins in the game’s final seconds.
Those were a couple of tough games to swallow if you were a Ducks or Seahawks fan. If you happen to be a die-hard fan of both, you may be thinking that it’s time to sit down with the love of your life and have a little heart-to-heart.
You know the one I’m talking about. That crazy little thing with which you once had a torrid love affair filled with unbridled passion and romance, but, which has recently devolved into an abusive, one-sided relationship that has left you a shell of the person you once were.
Yeah, it might be time that you have a little sit down. One-on-one. Just the two of you.
“Football, we need to talk.”
You know it’s going to be tough, so you make sure you have your clichés locked and loaded. You can do this. It needs to be done. Things have just gone too far. The emotional turmoil and abuse need to stop.
“I think we should take a break… No, don’t say that… It’s not you. It’s me. I’m just going through some things right now… Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”
But, before you can even get started, that wily ol’ Football has a surprise for you. The one thing it can say that would give you pause, and maybe, just maybe, reconsider what you’re about to do.
“I’m pregnant!”
Wait… are we still talking about football? Damn right we are!
That’s right, yesterday was National Signing Day in college football! The one day a year where every college football fan in America gets that most special of deliveries – an incoming-freshman-class-shaped bundle of joy. A day so indescribable to any normal person that its place in the life of the football-crazed fanatic can only truly be expressed through the melodrama of an emotionally abusive relationship!
And, while many observers may argue that the grown men obsessing over the collegiate decisions of 17 and 18-year old high school students are probably in need of counseling other than that of the marriage variety, there’s no denying that recruiting is becoming more and more mainstream with each passing year. Like its big brother, the NFL Draft, National Signing Day in college football is becoming just as popular as the games themselves.
Sure, it might seem crazy that fans get just as pumped watching their team’s Twitter feed as much they do watching their games. Until you realize that as competitive as the recruiting battles between coaches and schools are, everybody is a winner in the eyes of the fans, because Signing Day is all about hope.
You see, much like being a Chicago Cubs fan, following collegiate recruiting is a pastime best enjoyed by the eternal optimist. No matter how terrible last season may have ended, there is always hope that with each new recruit, things will get better. That somewhere in each new class is that star quarterback that will lead your team to the Promised Land.
It doesn’t matter if he’s a 5-star “sure thing” like Tim Tebow, a 3-star guy with “some potential down the road” like a Marcus Mariota, or even if he’s some no-name walk-on who didn’t even make the press release, like a Jonathan Smith. Everybody has the potential for greatness on National Signing Day.
While it may be 1-in-a-million that your team of walk-ons is full of JJ Watts, Jordy Nelsons, Clay Matthews and Jonathan Smiths, just remember the immortal words of Lloyd Christmas: “So, you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
At the end of the day, that chance is all that matters. A chance to turn things around. A chance to take that next step. A chance to finally put you over top and win the big one. A chance to rekindle that spark that was lost in the heartbreak of seasons past.
And, while National Signing Day won’t heal all of your football related emotional scars, its message of eternal hope for a brighter future is the perfect reminder for why you got into this twisted relationship to begin with.
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