Baseball may be America’s pastime, but football is America’s game. And NFL football, with its Super Bowl, super-sized players, and super-sized profits, captivates our attention like no other sport. Many young males dream of the chance (against very poor odds) to shine on the NFL gridiron. Die-hard fans hope (also against poor odds) that “their” team will take it all and, in the process, make them “winners,” allowing them to bask in the reflected glory of being champions.
Passionate fans ultimately float the NFL boat. Their fervor, in part, allows tarnished heroes, fallen by felony and bad behavior, to crawl their way back onto the field and into our hearts. Indeed, passionate fandom can blind moral judgment.
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