Now a lot of people find being passionate about something odd, particularly if it’s a sport. And football, which is thought to privilege athleticism over abstract thought, is not exactly something that inspires long, intellectual metaphorizing from the great minds of our age.
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As a writer and a football fan, I (and many others) beg to disagree.
Intellectual comparisons and allusions can come from almost anything, and sports are no different. The great filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock once likened the game to a real-life armed revolution, while the comedian George Carlin likened the quarterback to the field commander in the army.
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These allusions to battle and warfare are par for course with sports, which apply the same principles as warfare but with a more rigid rule set and with little or no bloodshed and destruction. Much like in real life battles, strategy and strength play an important and complementary role in achieving a victory. Moreover, we may never truly know who wins until after a game, bringing forward parallels to life.
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I have to admit, there is an element of fun involved in playing any sport, and football, rough as it is, is entertaining in its own right. But there really is more to the sport than what you would normally expect if you look at it in a different way. More than a game, football is a reflection of life.
A football fan since birth, Jason Goldblatt currently freelances as a sports writer. Follow him on Twitter for more on his views on football.
Jason Goldblatt 