Why the AFL Matters
Matthew Pickut
Wednesday May 1, 2002
As a pastor (my day job) you are expected to know about the things that matter most, and I have to admit that this week I haven’t thought about the AFL much. Maybe though, that’s just why the AFL matters.
When I see Cornelius Coe plant some WR into the turf, I’m not thinking about funerals, or sickness, or even paperwork – I’m thinking “Wow, what a hit” and even though I didn’t just place my facemask in the chest of an opposing player and perform a text-book tackle, I feel like I did. Its not completely about the violence (even though we all slow down to look at a car crash), it’s about getting caught up in the actions of another man whom for one moment performed to the highest level of his potential. For one moment, I am caught up in that moment and nothing else matters. For one moment I can step back away from whatever life I brought with me to the game. For one moment I’m just a guy watching a football game with 10,000 of my closest friends.
Through the AFL, and sports generally, we share in the experiences of grown men; grown men playing a game that has very little impact on our daily lives. We share their thrill of excellence, their bittersweet emotion of a well-fought loss, and for a moment we can leave the really important things behind.
In particular the AFL lets you get closer to the players and action than any other sport. There is no glass separating you from the field, no sidelines full of cable toting underlings between you and the game, and even the worst seat in the house is closer than you can get at an NFL stadium without mortgaging your house to buy the season-tickets. No other sport lets you get as involved with its players as the AFL and for that we should be grateful – can you really imagine Shaq or AI hanging around on the court after a game to sign autographs?
Is the AFL perfect? No, unfortunately nothing is, but let me put it this way: In week one, Firebirds head coach Mike Dailey’s opening statement to the press after a tough loss to the Chicago Rush was, “Well I’ll have to look at the tape but we didn’t do real well this week.” You could sense his frustration, however there wasn’t a sense of defeat. His thoughts were already moving towards what he had to do to get ready for the next week’s Grand Rapids game.
If just for a moment you can get caught up in that feeling, then the AFL makes sense. If just for a moment you can feel part of what a player on the field feels, then the AFL has done its job. And maybe if you don’t think about any of this while you’re watching a game or reading a column, well then maybe the AFL matters at lot more than we give it credit for.
Dedicated to the memory of Tim Hardy – a man who knew the value of a vacation.
Matthew Pickut is a pastor in northern Indiana and a long time AFL fan. He also writes for his own website: The Brown Paper Blog. He graduated from Taylor University in Upland Indiana (class of `96) with degrees in Biblical Literature and Sociology as well as a healthy respect for the medicinal properties of coffee.
