The Pregame Warm-up
One event dominates the consciousness of America every year in early February. The two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are filled with interviews, stories of football greatness, predictions, and, unfortunately, the occasional scandal. On Super Bowl Sunday fans gather around television sets at the local bar or in their living room to watch two teams play for the Lombardi Trophy. Those who aren't fans of the game and don't watch it much during the regular season often tune in to the Super Bowl (or at least the high-priced commercials that have become a part of the spectacle).
Football is a part of popular culture not only on Super Bowl Sunday but also throughout the rest of the year. Joe Namath famously appeared in a commercial for pantyhose. Football movies like Brian's Song and Remember the Titans have enjoyed wide popularity. Perhaps the most well-known involvement of football players in pop culture happened in 1985. Members of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears released a rap song (okay, maybe that's being a bit generous) called “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” with a music video appearing on MTV that included Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, and several other members of the team. Surprisingly, this was the Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew's only hit song. Pop culture and football mix on the field as well. When Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson scores a touchdown, he makes a symbol with his hands promoting Rocawear, a clothing line founded by rapper Jay-Z and endorsed by Johnson.
While football is a part of pop culture, it is more than that. It is also the most popular spectator sport in the United States, with high-impact collisions, feats of great athletic skill, and meticulously developed strategies played out before the eyes of millions. What does all of this have to do with philosophy? Good question. As it turns out, and as the chapters in this book show, plenty. One thing that football fans and philosophers have in common is that they love to argue and often do so with great passion. If you want to see a good debate, get a group of diehard football fans together and ask them who the greatest quarterback in NFL history is. Joe Montana? John Elway? Johnny Unitas? Philosophers also love to argue and often focus their attention on some of life's big questions: What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? What is true happiness? How should we live? What is beauty?
Philosophy literally means “the love of wisdom,” so one of the aims of this book is to offer some valuable insights that can be gained when thinking deeply about football and philosophy. In pursuit of such insights, this book's lineup of contemporary philosophers turn their attention to the game of football and the game of life and try to answer several questions that are important to fans, players, and coaches. What is wrong with performance-enhancing drugs? Should we have a playoff in Division I-A college football? Is there really such a thing as momentum? Does the NFL salary cap promote fairness? What is the significance of forgiveness for the game of football and the game of life? What can we learn from Vince Lombardi's philosophy of winning? Whether or not you agree with the answers given, you'll definitely have some food for thought.
While this book is published by an academic press, it is not an “academic” book, though it does contain some serious philosophical reflection. Academic books are usually written by professional philosophers for other professional philosophers, whereas this book is written by football fans (who happen to be philosophers) for football fans, coaches, and players. So if you're looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon during the off-season, or when your favorite team has a bye week, read a chapter or two. If you do, the next time you and your friends start debating the pros and cons of instant replay, whether or not we should replace the BCS with a playoff, or whether it is good to mix football and religion, you'll be warmed up and ready to go.