After two days of snow days, we returned to school. I was happy to be back with the teenagers so I just did my teaching thing. It was just a day so it went by quick. Then a close colleague stopped by and said, “Gonna watch some pro football this weekend?” I said, “Well, you know, with it being money games, the officiating this time of year is really terrible. I always turn my attention, this time of year, to a great rugby tournament. (Six Nations.)

I went on to tell him about the beauty of rugby and its highly regulated tackling and lot of other things that make it a beautiful sport. I assumed that, as an American, he doesn’t get the passion of these tight-knit European nations. My Welsh ancestry and Welsh cousins by marriage have helped me understand this.

The truth is that the NFL is a lot like the current political situation; the American public can be given any bucket of shit and they will look at it as the best bucket of shit they could have. They don’t question anything, they just accept it. They complain about biased officiating but keep showing up and betting on games and watching bars and buying gear and whatever they push in commercials. The league knows this and keeps on delivering the same shitty product. Because they are still making a shitload of money. I love the game but it’s not the same game I grew up on.

So, one more week, I’ll be watching Wales and France on n Six Nations rugby. Cymru!