This Thursday

by TheBatman

This Thursday, it all begins again.

The microcosm of human existence named the National Football League kicks off another season of twists and turns, comebacks, final curtains, and shining moments. Proving yet again that sport, not just art, imitates life.

It was on the eve of the first Thursday night season opener that (the soon to be quickly dispatched) Rush Limbaugh so eloquently gave tribute to the biggest game on the biggest stage on earth. While Limbaugh did and does much to polarize humans with his ramblings, that one oratory was both passionate and unifying. That's one of the great things about Football, it makes friends out of those who would otherwise be strangers, or worse yet, enemies.

This season will feature one man who outperforms all others, another man who rebounds from failure and or injury, some will see their stars fade and others will become stars for the first time. Men will lose their jobs, others will realize their dreams. And at the end of it all, a group of men, unified in a singular purpose, will stand on a mountain whose peak they dreamed of since they were little boys.

The Mike Vick's and the Adam Joneses will become a memories instead of headliners. Conduct codes and suspensions will take a back seat to TD passes and rushing yards. From the first kickoff, the game, and the men who give it dignity, will be what and who matters. As it should be.

And we will sit nervously, excitedly in stadiums or our living rooms, watching those little boys in men's bodies, live our dreams and our nightmares every week. In a simple game, played on a simple field of dirt and grass, in the hearts of men.

And for however many hours and minutes that our team does battle, the rest of the world will vanish and we will know only the joy and suffering of commitment, courage and competition. As it should be.

This Thursday it begins again. For that I am grateful.