super bowl

I really enjoyed the Super Bowl. I've made it a goal to get into sports some more . . . or just more because I've never been into them up to this point. I suppose after watching 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights, anyone might make that same decision. Sports have a way of bringing people together, even if it is for something short-lived and unproductive in the grand scheme of things. Why watch people fight each other over a ball or a score to which we give arbitrary meaning? Why watch as people get injured, damaged, sometimes permanently? Why lose your voice while cheering for something that won't matter tomorrow or five years from now? But, perhaps, it will matter days and months from now. For instance, I seriously regret never attending a single Jimmer game at BYU. I attended BYU while Jimmer was making history, but I never made the time or spent the cash to go see him in action. My friends will talk about those games for years to come, most likely, and I won't be able to talk with them. More importantly, I won't be able to share the memories of experiencing the thrill, adrenaline, and camaraderie in the moment.


I think sports are powerful. In FNL, the football coach was deemed a molder of men. As the series unfolded and developed, you could see how he did, in fact, shape men into being leaders on the field and off the field, partners with their team members, men of integrity and empathy, men who were gracious and kind. Yes, it was scripted and, yes, it was not real life, but real people wrote that story. I think the point of Friday Night Lights was to show how people can reach their very best potential and it was delivered through the medium of high school football, high school, marriage, family, and friendships. Recently, I watched an episode of GLEE where Coach Beast said that the point of football is not to win big games or gain a reputation but to bring a community together. Again, I realize the incredibility of my sources, but it's what I got to work with. 


So, I want to get into sports and give them a real shot. Sports really do bring people together in the stands or in the living room, and it is good to be together. 


So, now to some technical things of sports that I do not understand yet: Why was Eli Manning named MVP of NYG if he wasn't even on the field when they won the game? Why wasn't he on the field at the same time as Tom Brady? Why do they get paid so much money? Can anyone answer these questions? I'd really appreciate it.


I realize sports can bring out the best and worst in people, but I'm going to keep the faith that sports are inspired and fun.