That Don't Impress Me Much

  I am an avid fan of college football. I watch it. I read about it. I follow crazy people of Twitter just to see what funny, insightful, witty things might get said. And I can (and will) give you a list of things that impress me about the game. Unfortunately there is another list of things that do not impress me.  We will start with that.
   I am not impressed with snazzy uniforms.  Just wear your team colors. Wearing 14 different uniforms throughout the season doesn't make you a better football team.  I actually wonder if you are trying to hide your faults by concentrating on your attire so much. I am not impressed with pretend innocence. If you have been wrapped up with a wide receiver and they call you for pass interference, please do us all a favor and just take the penalty with some amount of dignity and grace. You did it, everyone saw it, and you know you are guilty. I am not impressed with poor sportsmanship. I don't care what side of the ball you are on or whether you just won or lost. Be a good sport. It is a game which by nature means that someone is going to lose and someone is going to win. Cheer for your team. Have some class. I am not impressed with big salaries. This last week we saw a coach get hired for an unreal amount of money. A year from now there will be people calling for his head on a platter.  Money doesn't make you win.  I am not impressed when a player makes a play and struts around like he just saved the world. Or when he misses a play and he lays there pounding the ground as if that will change how that went down. I am not impressed when a player gets into the endzone and acts like he has never been there before.  Class, people, that is all I am saying.
   But I am impressed with coaches who value character. Coaches who set out to work on these athletes, not just for their skills, but for who they will become. I am impressed when coaches make difficult choices like suspending a player that will valuable to discipline them for their mistakes. I am impressed with players who respect the refs enough to hand them the ball rather than throwing it down on the ground.  I know it is a small thing, but it is classy.  I am impressed with teams that don't quit. Sometimes you  know you are beat, but the great teams play like they aren't. Until that last buzzer buzzes, they play with heart. I am impressed with players who have big names and  are talented that handle themselves with poise and humility. The world is trying to lift them up on a pedestal and they politely refuse. Those are the players that are fun to cheer for. I am impressed when the coaches and players recognize and acknowledge that while we all want to win, winning isn't everything. Sometimes just being there is a victory. Sometimes the way you played is a victory.
   I know that not everyone in the world loves this sport (although for the life of me I cannot understand it - ha). After a few days of doing not much besides watching football, I started thinking about somethings that make me love it. And some of the things that bother me about it. I do love this sport. I am always sad when the season is over. It is a long, dry spell from January to September. There is enough impressive about this sport and the kids who are playing it to make it my favorite season of the year!