Some coming good: The college football season is nearing

Last Saturday morning was just another hectic morning for me. I was running errands and doing my best to keep my head above water.

I was at a local, massive store buying my groceries. Under normal conditions, this is not my favorite chore to do, and the addition of the crowd I was fighting added a little bit more sauce to the goose.

I was dodging all the shopping carts while doing my best to be cordial to the people I was encountering. However, all I wanted to do at this point was buy my food and get out of there.

Then, it happened. I was nearing the magazine section though my thoughts were really on finding a register without a long line. When I buy groceries I tend to be all business, and if a person has ever encountered me at these times, they understand what I am referring to.

It is nothing personal. I just want to finish the task and enjoy my Saturday. But when I passed the magazine rack, my day began to take a sudden turn for the better.

This is because as I passed shelf after shelf of overflowing magazines I saw one that reminded me that good days are to come.  That’s right – the pre-season college football magazines are now for sale.

For many, this may seem like a minor thing. The college football season does not begin until Labor Day weekend, and there is a whole lot of living to be done between now and then.

Trust me, I know this. Still, I cannot help but think ahead to this glorious time. It is a time when the doldrums of summer are passing away, and we can rally around symbols that passionately stir emotions deep down in a lot of us.

It did not even matter that a lot of the magazines had photos of Alabama players on the cover. It was just nice to see that college football is soon to return to my life like an old familiar friend. Besides, the recent plague that is Alabama football will soon pass. As the Good Book says, there are seasons of joy and seasons of sadness, and I am sure this time of pestilence known as the “Nick Saban Era” will end sooner if not later.

So, as we all can see, even during the darkest of times, we have many symbols that we can rally around and have hope. For many, one the biggest symbols is college football. Now, we could have quite a debate about whether this is a good thing.

After all, many feel too much emphasis is put on sports especially at major universities. What do big-time sports really have to do with the mission of a school? It is a valid point, but not all aspects of life have to make sense. We all have some passions that do not make sense if we stop and try to think of them in logical terms.

Also, there are other moral questions that can tug at our hearts when it comes to college football. For example, the sport is a multi-zillion dollar industry, but the players only get their scholarships. True, those scholarships can be worth a ton of money, but what about players that come from impoverished backgrounds and could really use a little more money now?

And what about injuries? The National Football League is now being taken to court by former players with long-term health issues. Will the same happen soon on the college level?

All good questions, but I am going to take time this autumn and enjoy college football.