Response: Why are you a New York Football Giants Fan?
Aug 10, 2012; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; A general view of a football and helmet during the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants preseason game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
GIANT Response:
Happy Father’s Day! Today, we’re here to show Big Blue Nation’s response from the following article:
Why are you a New York Football Giants fan?
An article I wrote that begged the roots of your fandom. And you responded. Even on Father’s day “football” is occasionally on special display. Maybe not in its violent Any Given Sunday, autumn NFL kickoff version form…as it’s not quite that time yet. It’s summer! Football is special for a different reasons in June. It’s those “teaching” moments between a father and son that define football from boyhood to manhood in many cases. Or even that moment between a child and his mother, who happens to play both roles on a day like today.
Father’s are stereotyped as the singular path to football in the family, but there are plenty of football mothers out there that deserve some pigskin praise. Regardless of who you’re giving your credit to in your family tree, remember to branch out your memories and think of those special moments in your life where football (namely, the New York FOOTBALL Giants) called you by your name and told you, “Let’s go get some Lombardi’s and show the world how to win.”
Regardless of my words, you get the sentiment and some of you have already offered your response. Let’s review.
First there was the comment response in the initial article:
"Bushwhakked: Because my brother threatened me with hostility if I rooted for any other team. I still tremble when he stops by.GIANT Response: We share a common bond.Bushwhakked: Sometimes it’s tough being the younger sibling."
Then we posted the link on Twitter and got some response:
It didn’t stop there Giants Nation, Scott Merrick, sent us an email response:
"GMEN HQ,Despite my oldest brother being a Jet fan, my love for the giants started more precisely with a deep seeded sense of fear. At the young age of 9, I snuck out of bed to watch TV as I couldn’t sleep and my dad was watching Monday Night football. I remember the shock as I saw the gruesome end of Joe Theismann‘s career when LT snapped his leg in two like a twig.After the fear subsided, I couldn’t stop thinking about the shear power I just witnessed and inevitably, I was hooked. I didn’t know much about football back then, but I was convinced no team could defeat the Giants with a defense led by the likes of LT. While I love all sports, nothing rivals my passion for the New York Giants and whether my 2 sons know it or not, they will share my passion for big blue…🙂"
Happy Father’s Day Eli Manning!
At Giants.com, Michael Eisen put a great post about Eli entitled: Eli: Being a dad is most important role. It keeps you thinking about Scott’s 2 sons from the email above, and how his hope may not be so different from the hope and passion Eli Manning has for his own family. Here’s what your Quarterback had to say about his girls first, and his father Archie Manning second:
"“My big role as a father at night, every night, is bath time,” Manning said this week. “My wife (Abby) will tell me that I get the girls all riled up before bedtime, because I like a lot of bubbles and I like splashes and we sing and dance in there.”Manning is famous for his exploits on the football field, but it is the private moments at home with Abby and daughters Ava (3) and Lucy (who’s about to turn one) that he most savors.“I consider being the father of my two girls the most important role that I have,” Manning said“My dad played in the NFL for 14 years and he’s been a great role model for me,” Manning said. “A lot of people would think that his influence would mostly be about football but really, his greatest impact on me was that he was a great father and there for me and my two brothers (Cooper and Peyton). That had the greatest impact on me on being a father to my two little girls. Some of my great memories with my dad are just being outside, running around in our front yard. We used to play a game called ‘amazing catches’ between me and my brothers, whoever was in the neighborhood, any kids. He would start throwing passes just outside our reach where we would have to dive for it to make these great, one-handed, amazing catches. It’s one of the great memories I have with my dad. Ava is not quite ready for the amazing catches game right now, but we’re working toward it.”"
It’s a great read, a perfect reminder that even the great and powerful Manning’s are only human. Heck, even Eli calls his dad on Father’s Day. With that thought, we’ll leave you with another familiar question. Give us your best answers in the comments, or tweet them to @gmenhq. Once again Big Blue Nation…