What's a Fark fanboy? a.k.a. Why I love football!

I couldn't sleep last night, because I spent all day either watching my dreams shatter (not really, I'm keeping hope alive), prepping for a big funding meeting with the E.D., and trying not to think about the impending decision about my potential new job. It's also really difficult just to be living back in the States, but I don't think I can talk about it just yet.

So I came across this post at a new-ish blog which is written by a group of women freelancers/bloggers, one of whom I follow at Freelance Writing Jobs. I like FWJ because I've found work there that enabled me to live in Chile for so long without a regular income.

I've sprinkled a post or two, cryptically I suppose, about my love for the New York Giants. I am a football fan, through and through. I found the post really offensive and uninformed, and thought about posting a list of why I love football here (on a somewhat girly, touchy feely blog) just to sort of say that men and women are not separated by sports, and that one woman does not speak for all of us (I don't think that's what she was trying to do, but the whole thing started to become about gender lines, etc.).

The writer was totally attacked in the comments. Nasty, hurtful, unnecessarily attacked. Name calling, etc. ensued, and she eventually had to start moderating her comments. I don't have anywhere near her readership, so I'm not all that concerned about mentioning it here. All the action apparently was stewed up by her list appearing on Fark, with which I'm only slightly familiar. So what gives over there? What is everyone so angry about? I should be the angry one, considering the way the Giants played yesterday. But instead, I'm staying positive.

A little about why I love football:

1) Three hour games: The football season is short, but the games are long. Every one of them means something. I'd take a three hour game over a seven game series any day.
2) The Quarterback Sneak: It usually works, even though we can all see it coming.
3) Jeremy Shockey: It's refreshing to see someone get as mad at himself for screwing up a play as he is happy with himself when he does something right.
4) Tailgating
5) Coach's Challenge: Am I the only one who likes this? It's like a jury verdict coming in. Very tense, very exciting. Sometimes refs are wrong...the challenge means we won't be talking SO much about bad calls the next day.
6) The safety: The St.Louis/Seattle match-up started with 2 points on the board. There is something so satisfying about seeing the opposing QB sacked, and that satisfaction is doubled when you actually get points for it.

I could go on, but I won't. I just love the sport, I love standing behind a team whether they are good or bad, just because I said I would. I love seeing Brett Farve having one of his best seasons at 38. I love the yelling.

And it really doesn't matter to me if some random blogger doesn't get it. It's her loss.