King of the hill

I used to love watching baseball.  It was always a better game in person yet I watched the Cubs on TV in the afternoons after school whenever I could.  I even kept score like we did in little league.  But baseball got less interesting along the way and I stopped watching.  If I'm lucky, I catch one game each summer at Wrigley when I visit Chicago.  I love that field, the team not so much.

Like most sports fans I spend more time watching football, especially the NFL.  It's "King of The Hill" of all sports in the United States, a well deserved throne.  The games are wide open with ample scoring yet I still enjoy a defensive struggle and love watching a pick six or punt return.  Da Bears are my team but I'll also watch other teams whenever it's a "good game".  The NFL is a better product on TV than in person a big reason for its popularity.  I do fear the NFL has peaked though I hope its not true.  It's starting to tear apart at the seams, much like the Roman Empire before it.  The NFL will not lose its throne to another sport there is none that could take it away.  No, sadly I fear the NFL will cede its throne of its own accord.  There is too much money, too many big egos, too much grandiose everything and too many important people who believe they are better than everyone else.  I hope that image is not true yet we see it everywhere.  The trash talking, show boating, clap for me attitude is over the top.  The rap sheets, drug charges, and worse, the sexual assaults are signs of a system that could be broken and headed down hill.  Maybe Peyton and a few stalwarts will save the league from itself .. maybe.

So who gets next? Who is in position for the throne?  My bet is on hockey.  Yep, pro hockey is the game to watch. It's fast paced action especially at the end of games will stop your heart.  Quite the opposite of NBA Basketball and the endless fouls and time-outs that destroy a good game.  Get yourself to Chicago or Boston or Montreal or Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the many other towns that understand the game on ice.  Real fans don't watch a hockey game alone, they go to the game or a neighborhood bar and watch with their buddies.  Hockey is a community experience, the game and the players invite you into their world, buckle you in for a great ride and dare you to leave even for a bathroom break.  Da Hawks are my team and I love watching them even from Austin, Tx where I live. Though I am planning a few trips this winter to see them the right way. In a bar with family and friends, a cold glass of beer in hand and a great pizza on the table.  And maybe I'll get a jersey too.  Go Hawks!!