This question comes up around this time every year in the football world. June is a tough month for fans with free agency dying down and the majority of the draft picks signed to their contracts as they go through rookie mini camps. July is even worse with the lack of activity to keep you entertained. Yes mini camps start mid July, but that is just the calm before the storm. The worst few days in the sports world as a whole are the days before and after the MLB All-Star game because there is absolutely nothing going on. Combine that with the lack of goings-ons in the NFL, July cant go by fast enough.
With everything that the world is experiencing at an alarming rate, hitting the proverbial dead zone in sports is happening at the worst time. The world around us is falling into turmoil from racism, terrorism, political outrage, police brutality, military disapproval, discrimination, sexual identification, child neglect and every other death and destruction story the media can throw into our face. Everyday seems to bring some new story of how someone or something was wronged and how it is the end of the world. How everyone is up in arms over the little things and feeling overwhelmed with the out right disrespect they have received because their feelings were hurt or their beliefs had been completely obliterated. In the world today, people have become inundated with information and so sensitive to everything that nothing is sacred anymore.
For a lot of us, sports are a way to detach from reality for just a little bit and get a tiny break from all the craziness that the world is throwing at us. Escapism in its purest form. Why do you think fantasy football is so popular? The competition and the bragging you do with your friends that you pulled off that trade or found a sleeper in the 10th round. Those things are awesome, but deep down it extends those three hour games into a week long escape. Everyday there is something to do to get you through the week, to help you get away from all the negative being thrown at you in every direction imaginable. No, this is not saying that football is a way for you to avoid or ignore the world around you, that might be the reason why we are where we are today: willful ignorance. No matter what sports, football especially, is a way to inject some happiness into our world. Something to step away from the chaos and confusion to bring everyone together as one and let our differences aside of race and religion and allow the only color that matters to us is that of the team we cheer for. One day sports will be just everyone’s favorite pastime, but as of right now, it might be what everyone needs to take a deep breath and level out their emotions and get on the same page of togetherness. Without light, darkness will conquer all, and football is the light we need now more than ever to add a little light to the situation. When is it football season again?
