Seven days of perfection. That’s why football is the best of the big three American sports, way ahead of baseball and basketball. I have nothing against hockey or soccer. If you’ve been paying attention, you also know I love track and field. I enjoy all those and other sports too: boxing, MMA, cycling, tennis and golf. But no other sport rivals the balance of pro football – four quarters, 60 minutes, once a week on Sunday (now, of course, on Monday and Thursday too). Not enough? College football dots all the other days of the week, and in some parts of the country, the high school games played under Friday night’s lights mean as much as Sunday.
The jewel, of course, is Sunday. The NFL is made for television, with its instant replays and ample time between plays for expert analysis (you hear me, Chip Kelly?)
But if you think the league is fun for you, let me tell you, the players get the real enjoyment out of it. Yes, the actual combatants. Win a night game in baseball and maybe you’ve got a lunchtime getaway game the next day. In basketball, you’re lucky to get 48 hours to celebrate a win. But football? How about a whole week?
Victory Monday morning you come into your multimillion-dollar facility to watch film of your latest triumph. You’ve already seen your highlights on local and national TV, never mind in print and all the new digital outlets. Your exploits are buzzing on sports radio, been tweeted and texted, Instagrammed, liked on Facebook and all that other stuff I don’t know about.
You get treatment from the training staff on your gladiator body. You then stroll into the 10,000-square-foot weight room designed for 50 athletes and lift weights in front of more mirrors than anyone could ever imagine. Next, you go out on one of your twelve manicured practice fields to jog/stride twelve 100s and work up a little sweat. You whirlpool and sauna and shower before heading home around two in the afternoon. Maybe Monday evening you host your TV or radio show, perhaps write your blog.
Tuesday is the day of days for an NFL player: your official off day. Tuesday you head to the mall or auto dealer (when you roll, you roll). You might pay a visit to your masseuse, chiropractor, acupuncturist or sports psychologist.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are your workdays, but thanks to the NFLPA, you don’t have to wear pads or actually hit in practice. Your step is lighter from the victory, the coach’s voice is softer and kinder in his instructions, as you bask in the glow of Sunday’s victory. Saturday is a travel day for road games or a day to welcome family or friends who come in town for the next triumph.
Now, if you happen to have lost the previous week, scratch all of the above because all hell breaks loose and you live in a cold, dark hole. But alas, it’s only for a week and then you get back up on that horse and try, try again for those perfect seven days.
– James Lofton
James Lofton is the analyst for WestwoodOne’s coverage of Sunday Night Football. This week, James will be alongside Kevin Kugler in Pittsburgh as the Steelers try to get out of a cold, dark 0-2 hole against a 2-0 Chicago Bears team that is currently enjoying its perfect seven days.