Football Rivalry Games Are War

(Above: How the football team thinks they look.)

Today’s the night of the football game against our biggest rivals.

It would be hilarious how important school rivalries are. Except that it really does mean a lot to most kids at school. Even kids that could care less about the game care about crushing our rivals.

Imagine a life and death battle, where the winner takes over all of the land. That’s basically high school football games.

And these carry on to every aspect of life too, especially at places where kids from different schools are gathered, like whenever Scott and the football team start a pickup game of basketball at the local park.

If someone from Valley View is playing and misses the goal, everyone from our school has started yelling, “Fail like football!” Yeah, it's pretty stupid, but not in the moment. In that moment, it's the most hilarious thing ever, especially since the Valley View football team really did get totally crushed last year.

And once there was a guy that was really weird, he would always mumble about peanut butter sandwiches eating baseballs.

Scott asked him if he was okay once - not in like a fake way to make fun, but a legit "bro, you sound high" way - and the guy looked at him dead on and said, "the peanut butter will rise and crush you" before literally running out of the park.

Everyone around us kinda stared and then Scott was all like, "Those Newman kids tho!" and everyone laughed because yeah, Newman is a pretty strange school.

But back to football: Honestly, as a freshman, these games are the easily the best part about finally getting to high school.

Before games I get to hang out with Scott and the football team.That’s always a lot of fun because the team is always nervous before a rival game and so Scott has pranks and jokes set up everywhere.

I’m writing this right before the game because my whole family is piled into a car and that’s always a really crazy experience.

Mom’s on the phone finishing up a business call, which means Jamie’s fixated on using up all the mobile data watching Nexflix on Mom’s other phone. Guaranteed way to get her to shut up.

For most of the kids at my school, football games are not a family experience. Lucky me.

At the beginning of the year, I actually thought it would be the worst thing ever when my Mom insisted she and Jamie would come to every game. I thought it was part of a bonding closer to my son thing and that I’d have to explain everything, but she’s absolutely riveted to the game.

Mom’s a total soccer Mom for the football team. Which is definitely weird.

Every game, it’s all:

“BENCH THAT KID! OBVIOUS FOUL! TACKLE NUMBER 7! FASTER! NICE TACKLE, SCOTT!”

Every time there’s a game there’s this circle of empty space surrounding her on all sides. Like a solid four inches, which is pretty good for a football stand of cramped parents and kids.

Her enthusiasm really confuses me. Not because she is so focused on the game. That’s cool. I love football too, but her total 180 in attitude has always irritated me for some reason.

Her crazy yelling doesn’t embarrass me. I always wandered around the stands anyways. However, it just felt really annoying that she was so enthusiastic and focused at the games, when she’s the exact opposite at home. Mom just always seems tired and stressed and a little listless unless she’s at the game. Even for Jamie’s birthday parties.

It’s just...why should she do that? Why does football make her so happy?

I’m not mad. Not really, but I want to know what makes football games so important for her. Scott likes to joke that maybe she just really hates Horizon (our rival tonight), but it’s got to be more.

It really doesn't matter now though, because we just got here and I've watch Scott's famous speeches, psyching everyone up for the game.

Alex.