Julian:
Football games were a big deal in towns like ours; be it high school or collegiate, there was always a big crowd of supporters sporting team colors. Matt played for the local team, the Greenwell Grizzly's. They had been the best football team in the state for the last 3 years. Even I could see they were brilliant at what they did and deserved all of the titles that they had won so far.
All I knew about football had come from Luke, Mat and their Dad. They took me under their collective wings (much to my frustration at the time) and taught me how to throw a football, about the different positions, rules, teams and all the other bits and pieces that went along with the game. It took me a long time to realize how important all this information was to maintaining a normal social life in Greenwell and how much I would have outcasted myself by not joining in on the town's football hysteria.
While football wasn't my first choice in entertainment, it wasn't all bad. Live games interested me more that televised ones and when they were close, they often had me on the edge of my seat. There was also those fantastic male specimens running around on the field displaying their athletic prowess. Whenever a game got boring, I would mentally scope out the players, ranking or comparing them. Which would have been a lot easier without their bulky equipment and large helmets. The ere of mystery only added to the fun though. I could imagine them to be anything I wanted; pretend they were buff, wild looking sex gods or slim, blonde Swedish men. Beneath those jerseys and helmets could be anything I wanted, if only for the length of the game.