Hardknocks

06 September, 2015

I officially have a new favorite TV show. I don't watch a ton of TV, honestly. Flipping through the channels, it's tough for me to find anything remotely interesting... except for a few exceptions...

Since living at home the last 11 months, my brother James has turned me on to professional sports. I always liked the Pack growing up, but frankly I was more intrigued by the gift shop than the game when we watched live.

Anyways, I am SUPER into the NFL and NBA now, all thanks to James. And college football. Not so much the Brewers (sorry, guys, just bein' honest here).

If I turn on the TV, I basically turn on SportsCenter, the NFL nework, or the NBA network. I'm to the point where I can basically name one person on each team, so I finally know what the broadcasters are talking about when I watch! It's literally a miracle. I used to hate ESPN.

So, back to my favorite show. Yes, I like watching sports games. Yes, I like watching SportsCenter. But my favorite show-show? HARD-KNOCKS.

Yes. If you like sports and have not seen this show, please cancel your afternoon plans because it is the bomb.

The HBO show follows the Houston Texans through their pre-season, filming behind-the-scenes training, cuts, and practices. It's really good. Like, really really.

The part I like most is how emotionally invested viewers get toward players. No longer are you just watching a game and looking at their numbers. You instead start looking a their personality, their lifestyle, their family, and their heart. It gives a depth to the NFL that ESPN often lacks.

Let me break things down for you: in the NFL, teams start with over 90 players and slowly have to make cuts down to 53 by Sept. 5th at 4:00 PM (so... yesterday). That means almost half of the team gets cut.

How do they determine who gets cut? Athleticism, attitude, willingness, understanding the playbook, body type, team dynamics... Lots of things.

It's so hard to watch the players you've grown attached to through the show get cut. Men who gave it their ALL to make the team. Guys who went to practice early, stayed late, and even scored touchdowns in the pre-season games.

The NFL is exclusive. Only the best of the best can get in. It's cut-throat. It's heart-breaking. It's life.

The glorious light at the end of the tunnel, however, is Jesus.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. "You are your Christian analogies Paige. How does Jesus possibly relate to football?"

While the NFL tells people they're not allowed in, Jesus tells everyone to enter eternal life. Everyone! The small, the big, the young, the old.... anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is allowed!

John 10:9 - I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

So - moral of my blog today. Watch Hard-Knocks (ignore the swearing) and accept Jesus. But not in that order. Jesus first. Then Hard-Knocks.

With that, I'm off to church! Woohoohooooo!

And here is a completely unrelated 1D song.