Is it okay for other life priorities to be pushed aside during the football season?

SHE SAID

Commentary by Samantha Jacquest

Football season is a time for people of different backgrounds to join together. People of different incomes, race, gender, religion, all gravitate towards sports bars around the nation.

Fans cheer along with people they’ve never met. People give out high-fives and hugs as they’ve never done before. Football season is a joyous time for everyone.

Well, maybe not everyone. You know those sports bars I mentioned earlier? You know who else is at those sports bars? Servers and bartenders. And being both a server and bartender, let me mention something to you readers that you may have never considered:

While you’re jumping around, socializing at different tables, hopping to different places around the bar, us servers are dodging you, trying to get around to refill beers and wings. And while you’re shouting at your bartender, asking for another drink in between plays, we’re serving all the other customers who shouted at as before you.

Now, I’m not saying change the way you watch football, I would never dream of that, especially in a state that is part of the biggest rivalry in football.

When I’m off work and just watching a game, I can get as rowdy as the next person. What I am saying to you is this: have a little more consideration next time you’re at a sports bar. Consider the fact that your server or bartender has a lot more people to worry about than just you. Or consider the fact that we’re ignoring you, because we want to watch the game, too. Hey, we’re only Americans.

HE SAID

Commentary by Zach Hicks

Sundays are for football. Call up the fellas, monitor your fantasy football team from your laptop and enjoy a delicious 10 hours straight of the most popular sport in America.

Sure, we all have homework and other things to work on, in my case this article, but those can be done earlier. You’ll never catch me doing homework on a Sunday. It’s all about prioritizing your time! But that’s for a different column.

Instead of gushing about my favorite sport, I’d like to examine the struggles that come with enjoying a football game. I might be representing the men’s side of the argument, but for all of the females who love football, this is for you, too.

We all have that friend, parent, relative or significant other who doesn’t like football. And that’s fine. They can enjoy their Sunday however they want. But don’t guilt others into not watching football. After all, Sundays are for football.

In high school, my mom would always scold my stepdad and I for “just sitting around all day and watching football.” How is that a bad thing? It should be celebrated. She should have been proud. Chores can wait, mom.

When I receive a text from one of my friends asking me what I’m doing on Sunday, I calmly respond that I’m watching football. “What are you doing after?” they ask. I explain that it’s an all-day thing. Look, football might not be for everyone, but if you get a few people gathered around with some beer and snacks, your friends who aren’t football fans will want to be a part of that. If you get them in the room with football games for long enough, they will become fans. Football is good. Football is great. Share football.