The NFL’s return gives me something to look forward to

October 7, 2020 — by Neeti Badve
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In a world filled with uncertainty, having scheduled games brings a sense of normalcy to our routines.

With 2020 looking so uncertain at times, any semblance of a routine seems like something to look forward to. For many people and me, this routine came in the form of the NFL's highly anticipated return. 

Now, I don’t really know what’s normal about 250-pound men with helmets and pads tackling each other, but you get my point.

Nevertheless, with the arrival of the NFL, I’ve been feeling a newfound excitement because I know that my monotonous pattern of school and work will be broken up three days a week. I have to say, it’s reassuring to know that if I’m feeling stressed or bogged down by assignments, I can turn on the TV anytime on Sunday and there will be a game going on. 

The great thing about sports is that when you root for your team, you feel like you’re a part of something bigger, and for that moment in time, you can distract yourself from the chaos of life with amazing feats of athleticism. 

When your team wins, you win, and it doesn’t matter that all you did was sit on the sofa and cheer because you still feel that same rush of adrenaline go through your body. Even if they lose, there’s a sense of comfort that comes with knowing that they lost for a reason — an anomaly in comparison to all the undeserved losses that have been plaguing us this year. 

With the return of the NFL, I’ve felt changes in the attitudes of the people around me (which, for the time being, is just my family, unfortunately). My dad and I excitedly wear our matching No. 12 Packers jerseys while watching games together, jumping up and down during the good times and pacing back and forth during the nerve-racking ones. 

During games, my friends and I text back and forth talking about plays and how crazy Green Bay running back Aaron Jones is. Throughout the week, we’re talking about fantasy points and trash talking each other’s teams, and in a school year where nothing has been the same as years before, it’s nice to know that some things never change. 

In a way, football has made us all hopeful again. 

I know that not everyone is a sports fan, but there’s something great about watching people being able to do what they love and excel at. 2020 has taken away a lot from us, but I’m so glad that seeing the players I love compete on the big screen isn’t one of them. 

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