Message From The Editor of Off-Grid News

Despite growing up in the South, I never cared two iotas about football when I was younger. My parents were never really into sports, plus I went to a small private school with no sports teams and we were hundred of miles away from any decent college teams. Sure, I knew the game existed, but I was generally oblivious to a huge part of American culture--football Saturdays.

That all changed when I moved to a major college town during my teens. I also was going to a larger school now, so my school did have a football team--and a pretty good one at that. It wasn't long before I realized what I'd been missing out on.

Although I would never call myself a football fanatic, I love to cheer on my alma mater during Saturdays in the fall. I've also been known to watch a few other games of interest--including the national championship last Monday.

Whether you rooted for the Tide or the Irish--or maybe you didn't even know which teams were playing--there were moments in the game that stood out. Like so many things in life, it was a learning opportunity, even for those of us who were nowhere near the field.

1. Preparation is key. It was a hot, humid evening in Miami last Monday. I wouldn't have lasted five minutes out there, but many of those players were on the field all four quarters. Without a year's worth of practice and training, they would have never been able to finish.

2. It's a team effort. No one person could win that game. It took a group of men working together as a team, and those players knew that. I don't think I heard a single player who was interviewed--even MVPs and standouts--who didn't acknowledge that they couldn't have done any of it without the person standing next to them.

3. You're going to have disagreements. People you care about aren't excluded from that either. Alabama teammates AJ McCarron and Barrett Jones actually got into a shoving match on the field over calling a play. Not only are these two teammates, but they are also roommates and close friends; that didn't stop them from having words on the field in front of millions of fans. But after the game, they made up, laughed, and moved on.

4. You don't always win. Clearly the game did not turn out the way Notre Dame would have liked, but that doesn't negate the impressive season they had in 2012. One setback is not the end. (In fact, Alabama lost one game during the 2012 season, but they still made it to the championship.) Dust yourself off and move forward.

5. Enjoy your success. Alabama coach Nick Saban is known for his tough, no-nonsense approach to the game of football. However, even he told his players to spend a day or two celebrating their win before settling down and coming back to the business of preparing for next year.

You can love the sport, hate it, or ignore it, but it doesn't change the fact that there's still something to learn from it--some lessons that those both on and off the grid would be well to consider.

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The Editor
editor@offthegridnews.com