I'm a little tired of talking about gun control, immigration and politics, so I'll talk about what's really important to people, especially in the south – football.
If you're like me you have to feel sorry for the young men who have been out on the practice field the past week practicing with a heat index above 110 degrees. But I do remember some of those days many years ago in a era when players didn't get water breaks. We ate salt tablets like they were M&Ms and you were a sissy if you needed water during practice, so it wasn't offered. You might be lucky to take a small break from wind sprints to get a sip.
Football is one of those sports that allows people to forget about the other problems in their lives or across the country even if it's not only for a few hours.
On Friday nights thousands of people flock to their high school football stadiums to pull for their team and pull against the other team.
Some say football in the south is like a religion and I have to agree. The thing about football that separates it from other sports is people talk about it for 365 days a year; those that lost talk about the opportunity for next year and those that won gloat for those other 364 days.
It's football that has made Paul Finebaum rich and famous with people loving him and people loving to hate him.
People look forward to Friday nights in the fall in most cities, towns and communities across this nation. What we sometimes forget is we are watching young teen-agers playing a game and sometimes forget about all the time and effort those players and coaches go through before those Friday nights.
We don't see them in the weight room a week after the last season ended; we don't see them running during the summer; we don't see them going to camps; but we all expect them to perform like professionals on Friday night.
People have been counting the days down for the beginning of high school and college football. Those days are gone as jamborees begin this weekend.
I'd like to also add a plug to the band boosters and quarterback clubs that work hard all year to raise money to help support their band members and football teams.
Some say it's a thankless job, but the men and women who work for these booster clubs do it for one reason – the young boys and girls involved.
The thing I enjoy about Friday nights in the fall is heading to the stadium and seeing, and smelling, the smoke boiling out from behind the quarterback club's concession stand and the band booster's concession stand. I spent a lot of years cooking burgers and frying French fries for the Flomaton Band Boosters, but did so knowing that my efforts would help the young men and women in the band succeed.
So, I do encourage everyone to visit concession stands on Friday night and plan your Friday night suppers around such events; it may not be the best food you've eaten but it's going to a greater cause.
It's important for people to support these organizations. Band uniforms don't grow on trees; football equipment doesn't magically appear; and the cost of busing and feeding the football team, cheerleaders and band doesn't just magically appear.
It's not technically the fall season yet, but football is here and your support is greatly appreciated.
