It was hockey that brought us Miracle and Notre Dame that brought us Rudy, but the National Football League has done the equivalent (if not more) to inspire us at Tonic. This Sunday, you’ll find us glued to our couches, flipping between ESPN, FOX, CBS and NBC to catch every game and every commentator on the sport possible. Why? We can think of seven reasons.
1) On Thursday, New York City‘s Broadway opened Lombardi. It’s an interesting dynamic having theater geeks play the jocks that gave them toilet swirlies in high school. One sportswriter said the last time he’d received an invitation to see a play was in junior high. But the NFL has lent its support to the eponymous play honoring Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi and even taken a few hits from theater critics. We’re confident the play will succeed. As Lombardi once said, “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.”
2) For the most part, professional football players use their millions for something other than themselves. These teddy bear guys are big into charity. Just Google any major player’s name plus the word “charity,” and you’re bound to find an eponymous foundation centered on children or sports. Even some of the lesser known players give back. We told you earlier this year about George Foster, who with his wife, Chanita, started Beyond the Game, a nonprofit helping the citizens of Swaziland. “My husband is not the richest player or the most known out there, but we have sacrificed a lot to give to others. We want to serve by example,” Chanita told Tonic. That’s no small feat considering these guys have a career lifespan of about a decade or two at best. Even the owners and staff give back to their communities collectively with NFL Charities.
3) The third reason why we love the NFL is for the hope that, just maybe, they’ll bring a team to Los Angeles. On Wednesday, former NBA great Magic Johnson sold his stake in the LA Lakers and hinted that he’d be open to bringing a football team to the city generally devoted to anorexic starlets. “Would I be interested? Of course I would be interested,” Johnson told the LA Times. ”Have I talked to anybody about it? No. But I would love … I would do that in two seconds.” Somebody get Johnson on the phone and make an Entourage plotline a reality!
4) It takes a real man to wear pink, and every October, professional footballers don a lighter shade of red in support of breast cancer awareness. “That actually shows how masculine you are — that you’re confident in yourself to go out there and set aside your ego to promote something that’s so important in our society,” Tennessee Titans fullback Ahmard Hall told the Nashville Scene. This year’s campaign is called “A Crucial Catch.” The NFL is not only encouraging both men and women to get screened (yes, men can get breast cancer, too), but they’re auctioning off football 
memorabilia (including Lombardi tickets) with 100 percent of the profits going to the American Cancer Society.
5) Two words: Marisa Miller. Sorry brunettes, but the NFL definitely has a thing for blondes. They start every Sunday night game with Faith Hill rockin’ Americana and now supermodel Miller will join the crew. First up for former Victoria’s Secret angel? Promoting the Halloween international game between the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos in London. “Going to the UK for this game is going to be a blast,” she told the Hollywood Reporter. “I’m looking forward to helping gain new fans and show them how incredible the game of American football is!” If anyone can inspire a Brit to admit that American football is superior to English football, it’s Miller.
6) The NFL is the league of second chances. In 2008, Michael Vick was sent to prison for dogfighting. Today, he’s one of several quarterbacks for the Philadelphia Eagles. “It’s one of the best comeback stories in sports history. That’s got to rank, all-time,” one fan said. James Johnson, longtime executive of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula, has known Vick since he was 7 and still considers him a role model for kids. “I always thought everything happens for a purpose,” Johnson said. “I thought he would resurface somewhere, but I didn’t know where. I believe he was knocked down and then brought back up to rekindle his faith to know what to do.” Then, there are other fallen quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings‘ Brett Favre. Fans are still cheering both men on, any given Sunday. Let’s hope they’ll follow Vick’s example and change for good.
7) As of last Sunday, the NFL decided it would put a stop to cheap shots. Fans are split as to whether this is overreaching or about time, but we’re supportive of them not turning a blind eye to their players’ well-being. Without the players, the rest of the NFL would fail to make Forbes Billionaires list year after year, and what would we do on a fall Sunday? Go apple picking? Yeah, good luck with that catching on.
Photo by rod_watson via Flickr.