When I was a lot younger, I used to enjoy watching football games.
I was a sportswriter for nearly 17 years, and at different times I covered high school, college and professional football. I covered one Super Bowl (one of the worst ones) and two Rose Bowls (both pretty good games).
I worked the NFL beat at five different papers and covered six different teams. The two I enjoyed the most were the Broncos and 49ers. I’ve written before and how old Mile High Stadium in Denver was one of my two favorite places in the sports world, along with Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Before I remarried in 1992, on Sundays I wasn’t covering a game, I generally watched two games. I grew up in the Eastern Time Zone, when games started at 1 and 4 p.m. Sundays, I much preferred living in the Western half of the country, where the second game started at 2 p.m. when I lived in Colorado and 1 p.m. when I lived in Nevada and California.
I stopped covering the NFL after the 1994 season, when the two teams I was covering both left Los Angeles. The last game I covered was Christmas Eve at the Coliseum, when the Raiders finished a 9-7 season with a 19-9 loss to Kansas City.
I actually covered Division III college football — mostly the University of La Verne — and some junior college games in 1995, and then left sportswriting for good.
In the 27 years since then, I believe I could count the number of games I’ve attended on one hand — using only the thumb.
It was UCLA vs. Washington in 1999 at the Rose Bowl. My daughter’s sorority at UCLA was having Dads’ Day.
I haven’t been to a game since, and it has been more than 20 years since I’ve even watched a game on television. The last game I watched was the last game my favorite athlete played. I covered John Elway early in his career when I lived in Colorado, and he left at the top of his profession after winning back-to-back Super Bowls.
The NFL no longer interests me at all, although I occasionally find myself caring when Denver is doing well.
I care more about the college game, although I still don’t watch games. I have four different teams that I care about in varying degrees from a little to a lot.
In reverse order from 4 to 1:
4. UCLA — As I mentioned earlier, I’m a UCLA Dad. In addition, when you live in Los Angeles, as I did for more than 20 years, you find yourself forced to root either for the Bruins or for the University of Spoiled Children. I actually liked UCLA as far back as the ’60s when I lived in Virginia.
It’s tough to be much of a football fan for the Bruins, mostly because their program is relatively mediocre. When they win, my reaction is along the lines of “Oh, that’s nice.”
3. GEORGIA — As the saying goes, how ’bout them Dawgs. Why do I care about them? Well, I have lived in Georgia for the last 12 years , and there’s something of a hometown team feeling. The fact that they beat Alabama, a team that would be in my top five least favorites, made the victory even sweeter.
Seeing them open their title defense with a 49-3 victory over No. 11 Oregon tells me we might be in for another wonderful season. I am happy when they win and would be very disappointed if they lose.
2. VIRGINIA — The state university in the state where I lived from age 13-32, and the first of the many colleges I attended. I live and die with the Wahoos when it comes to basketball, and one of the happiest events of my life as a sports fan was when they won the NCAA title in 2019.
Football, not such a big deal. It’s rare for Virginia even to be a contender for a conference championship, and the Hoos will ever win the NCAA title. I’m happy when they win and not all that surprised when they lose.
And No. 1 … drum roll, please …
OHIO STATE — I spent my childhood from ages 3-13 living an hour from Columbus and it was the Woody Hayes era at OSU. The Buckeyes have won eight national championships, including as recently as 2014.
I have been to football games at UCLA, Georgia and Virginia, but I’ve never been inside gigantic Ohio Stadium. Ohio State is the only football team at any level that leaves me truly sad on the rare occasions when they lose.
I never even considered the possibility of going to school there, but in recent years I find myself wishing I had.