It's bad enough there's been "concern" about the weather at the upcoming Super Bowl in New Jersey, but now there's talk of moving the game up to avoid the chance of playing it in a blizzard.
Really? REALLY????!!!!
Has America forgotten that football is a blue collar game? That it originated in the harsh elements of the northeast? That the "black and blue division" of Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay and Minnesota got its name not only because they beat each other black and blue--but did so in at least the last half of the season where the thermometer rarely rose above 40. And they liked it. They reveled in it. They survived it. And, the still talk about it.
And so will the players and fans if the game's played in a blizzard on February 2, 2014.
Honestly, I think we as a society have become comfort junkies. The thought and likely reality that Super Bowl XLVIII will be cold at best & amid a full scale blizzard at worst is shuddering to many because both scenariors--and any in between-- are uncomfortable. My response: so the heck what!! Football is an uncomfortable game, played in uncomfortable pads and a helmet designed to make sure the player isn't comfortable in a pine box (which could be the result when giving or taking an NFL hit without a helmet, you dig?). It's a violent game played by violent men. It's a wonderful diversion--where the violence is on the field and not (generally) in the stands. It's designed to be uncomfortable and really **needs** to be uncomfortable. The elements of wind, rain, mud, cold and snow add to the discomfort, but in a good way--because the elements even things out for the more agile against the bigger and more powerful, for the skinnier guys against the bigger and more powerful, and even the bigger and more powerful against the speedier-guys. The elements add more elements to the game. Why not on the game's biggest stage once in awhile?
Do you remember Week 14 of the season? The Lions at Eagles game played in a blizzard? Man, that was fun to watch. If you missed it, take a gander:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000294491/Week-14-Lions-vs-Eagles-highlights
Man, that was fun to watch on TV. And if I was at the game, it'd be the one I certainly remember being at and would be telling stories over beers for years. There's also a reason why similar games are etched in history. Does the name, "The Ice Bowl" ring a bell? Ding-dong. Of course it does, as it should. It was guts action football, with guts action players on the field, and guts action fans in the stands. And they still talk about it to this day. It was tough.
I fear we're losing our toughness--in the name of the comfort of the sub-tropics and domed stadiums. There's also the money factor. I know there's concerns that the projected cold and the discomfort it will bring might keep some fans away, that the corporate sponsors will not want to be associated with such discomfort, which would likely mean you'll never see another Super Bowl in a cold weather city's outdoor stadium. The almighty dollar talks, but in this case, it's saying, "America, you're soft."
