Football holds a special place in the hearts of the funemployed. What began as a healthy obsession with my hometown team has recently evolved into an uncontrollable mania for the sport in general. Everyone needs something to look forward to, but for those of us with less structured weeks, football provides a landmark by which we may assess forward motion (first and last sports pun ever, I swear).
This newfound preoccupation has probably been fueled by the fact that I’ve had to suffer through two consecutive Sundays sans Steelers. In my early days of unemployment, before my soul had calloused over and had given up all hope of ever finding work, I looked to Sunday and it’s eternal optimism for the strength to persevere. If the Steelers won, I envisioned an auspicious week in my job search. If they lost, well, I was fucking pissed, but at least everyone else was, too. As a bonus, if Jeff Reed happened to get himself arrested, then I had a super-fun Monday reading national press coverage of the event.
The combination of a bye week followed by a Monday Night game is cruel under any circumstances, but may actually induce hallucinations and criminal behavior in the out-of-work. Fortunately, I managed to stay on the right side of the law this week through educational outreach programs and stealthy use of the Internet. Sunday’s AFC North rivalry match was broadcast into my apartment loud and clear via several sketchy URLs.
Having time off from work, or from meaningful activities of any kind (outside of bloging, of course, and funemployment camp) has yielded me the opportunity to become a better and more informed fan. Thanks to ample time to explore both official websites and fan blogs, I’ve really been able to augment exponentially my knowledge of the sport and its participants. Not only have I enriched my understanding of the history and structure of my hometown franchise ten-fold, I’ve also gotten much cozier with the whole league in general. Even if this newfound knowledge does not reflect upon my resume, I am hopeful at the very least that it will enhance my profile in future Pub Quiz events.
Kickoff—Go Steelers.
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