Super Bowl Magic:
I grew up in a football environment. My father was a great enthusiast, having both played and coached for Cal Tech. I attended many games with him. He taught me a great deal about the game, the plays, penalties and strategies.
My husband is English but he has been a football aficionado almost since he got off the boat many years ago. We were blessed with two athletic sons who excelled in sports but we guided them into swimming, golf and tennis. Nevertheless they always had a heathy interest in football.
By the time our elder son was in high school, he and his father were each picking teams at the beginning of the season to win the Super Bowl. Soon my younger son and I joined in. As a family, we had many happy hours watching and discussing the games. Through their college years and after, we continued what is now a family tradition.
Even after the boys were married, the four of us continued to make our picks. After a few years, my sons’ wives both joined in and one of them contributed a trophy, which the winner keeps for a year. Now our grandchildren play too, so this is really a family affair. Each participant picks one AFC and one NFC team. We have a rule that only one person can pick a team. That makes it more fun, but also more difficult as the family size increases. So now we have to pick names out of a hat to establish the order.
This is just one of the ways we have used to keep our family together. I’m sure all of you have similar experiences. Please share them as a comment to this post.