Sunday, December 01, 2002

No Futurama

Football instead.

In talking on the phone today with David, a History teacher here at NMH -- he had an idea for a web-based research project he wanted to do with his Issues in the 21st Century class this term and wanted to talk it out -- in the background, his five year old son Jonah could be overheard asking Dad, which team do we want to win?

David explained to me that the question was because, even though the Patriots game wasn't on, Jonah has already learned that other games can affect the outcome of the season for the Pats. Seems like a fairly high-order concept for a five year old.

But I didn't see anything wrong with it even before the explanation. There's a lot of math, physics, and social science involved in Football; it's always struck me as a thinking game, ultimately more like chess than boxing despite what most people think. George Will can keep his baseball metaphors; personally, I think such urges are merely a hold-over from the British upper-class love of cricket. Football is truly the sport of the American intellectual AND the couch potato alike; that's what makes it so American.

posted by boyhowdy | 8:21 PM |

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