In case you haven’t noticed, I am a football fan. I can’t tell you why I love it so. But compare it to this. There are a lot of people I know who love chocolate, and they can’t really tell me the reason for their confectionary affection, except for they love the way chocolate tastes. The same could be said for my taste in football.
As such, I have my favorite teams. I’ve been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and a Kansas City Chiefs fan since I was a small girl. I’d watch their games whenever they were on, and I still do. But, it seems no matter who is playing, it is pretty easy for me to draw up sides, depending on the game.
Over the years, certain teams tend to irritate me. For whatever the grounds may be, those teams raise my hackles. The New England Patriots are one, mainly because of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. For my friends who are not familiar with the game, Tom and Bill are the former quarterback, and current head coach, respectively.
Let slide sideways for a moment to the political arena. It has been quite a week. Just last Wednesday, a mob of terrorists stormed the Capitol and attempted a coup, trying to stop the Constitutional process of confirming a new president of the United States.
They were unsuccessful, for now. And it appears that enough people in power are taking a stand against that coup. Many have stepped up and said enough is enough of Trump’s madness, including Twitter, Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, the PGA, Marriott, Blue Cross, and many more.
Since that time, the only thing presidential that the president has done, is to award the Medal of Freedom to Jim Jordan. Some would call him a member of the House of Representatives. From Ohio.
Now back to football. President Trump also offered that award to the New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Trump surely did.
But Bill Belichick announced Monday that he will not accept the Medal of Freedom. I was pretty amazed by his decision.
Belichick made the resolution to put his country first and forgo this award, the highest honor for an American civilian. I am not sure just how many of NFL’s owners, or coaches, would have done the same. Or anyone else, for that matter. Jordan didn’t.
People can change their minds you know. I’m not talking about Belichick. I’m talking about me. What he announced yesterday, made me like old Bill a little bit more than I ever have before. He’s a great coach, truth be told.
So, the next time those New England Patriots play, for the first time in my NFL career, I am going to root like hell for them. And for Bill Belichick.
But.
He’s already won, in my book.
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“It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
― George Washington
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“You should not honor men more than truth.”
― Plato
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“It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli
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The thing much bigger than football.
