Deep Fried Football on a Stick: Why the NFL Preseason Reminds me of Fair Food - East Idaho News
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Deep Fried Football on a Stick: Why the NFL Preseason Reminds me of Fair Food

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When was the last time you ate something covered in chocolate, deep fried and served on a stick? If you are like most people, the only time you dare to defy your digestive system is when the fair rolls around every fall. These mouthwatering morsels resemble real food, but only during the fair do we subject our stomachs to such abuse. Why? Because each year could be the last time we get to taste these torturous treats.

For me, the NFL preseason is the fair food of football.

Let’s be honest. The quality of football that is played in the preseason is not always easy on the eyes, just like that caramel-covered cucumber-wrapped-in-bacon tears through you intestines like a tank through tulip field. But I love it. Why? Because after being without it for months, you just want a taste so bad, you delightfully devour whatever you can get your hands on. Be it football or fair food, you are just thrilled to have it back.

Fair_Food

Then there are certain items that you can only find at the fair. You have enjoyed them for so long, you eagerly anticipate the small windows of opportunity you have to partake in these adored dishes. Those annual indulgences are like college football players that you have grown fond of on Saturdays. You have had your taste and you want more. Some of them are now only available in the preseason as they try to earn a roster spot. Your window of opportunity to watch them play has shrunk. Enjoy them while you can. They will soon by gone. Whether you’re a fan of a small school or the top team in the country, there will be players you like that may only play in August.

corndog

Once the preseason is past, the regular season commences, and you get back to the home-cooked meat and potatoes that sustains life. We look back at the preseason and the fair food wondering what were we thinking. My wife’s lasagna is so much better. Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady for a full four quarters in November is so much better.

So why do I crave the preseason?

Simple. There is value in scarcity. I want it because I can’t always have it. I can’t always see my smaller college heroes playing in NFL stadiums wearing NFL uniforms. If they don’t make the team, I may never see them play again. I can’t always have the kind of food that only a fair can produce. But I can soon have both and I am ecstatic with anticipation.

So, if you don’t mind, hand me the remote and something on a stick.

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