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William Elledge J. Weaver Engl1113 9/29/11

The Thrills of Live NFL Football

Professional football has been viewed by many all across the United States, whether on television or in person; but one could never fully appreciate the sport unless seeing it live. The tempo of the game cant be felt on the television like it can in person. I watched my first ever NFL game live on August 12 of 2005, it was an exhibition game between the Saints and the Seahawks. Kick off was at 7:30 CST on that awesome night. Shortly before kickoff my grandpa and I arrived at our seats and settled in for an intense battle. The opening kickoff signified the beginning of the first quarter. It was mostly a running game, running back Deuce McAllister for the Saints tore the defensive line to pieces gaining first down after first down all the while the announcer would call out, Deuce in an overly enthusiastic voice. The crowd was definitely feeling it, and so was I. But as the first quarter ended and the second began, things began to heat up. In the second quarter, both teams came out intensely with their passing games. Hitting their marks often, most of the quarter was spent by both teams sprinting up and down the field but when it mattered most; little success was obtained by both teams when it came to scoring. The Deuce chants from the announcer and crowd quickly dissipated as moans and groans of distaste and disappointment arose. The rest of the quarter continued in the same manner and as time expired the players of both teams, with heads

hung low, sauntered to their respective locker rooms. After the half time festivities, the third quarter began. Both teams stormed onto the field with renewed vigor, taunting between players largely increased as both teams attempted to intimidate their opponent. For the Saints it seemed to be working well as they were facing little opposition on their drives toward the end zone, but when it mattered most all they could muster was a field goal. The Seahawks on the other hand were having a terrible quarter but every fourth or fifth play they would come together and execute miraculous plays to keep them in the game. But in the fourth quarter that would all change. The fourth quarter started off with the Seahawks marching down the field with ease. Thats when my grandpa looked at me and said, the Saints are in trouble now. For the next couple of minutes, the saints were picked apart by the Seahawks defense. Interceptions and dropped passes plagued the Saints as the margin of points between both teams quickly increased. With the fourth quarter ending as quickly as it began, the score displayed on the scoreboard was 34-15. The Seahawks took advantage of the Saints lack of communication and late game team work to rise against a worthy adversary and leave triumphantly. Looking back on that memory, Ive come to realize how fortunate I am to have seen an NFL game live. The television, no matter how high-definition or large it is, could never compare to a live game. I only hope that someday I will get the chance to see a game again. Because as I mentioned, one could never really appreciate a professional football game unless seeing it live.

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