Football season just started and everyone is in a frenzy watching and talking about the games and the players. I love the game of football, heck, I played the game for as long as I could. I started out in the backyard playing, and I watched the superstars on Saturday and Sunday on TV. I even went on to play college football. So, hopefully you believe me when I say, I am as big a fan as anyone out there when it comes to the game of football or sports. I can’t say all that without letting you know that I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan! I remember literally feeling physically ill when the Steelrs would lose a game, I also remember keeping track of all the statistics for my favorite teams and players like it was a part time job that actually paid me money. I have changed though, I have even been called a “fake fan” of the Steelers. And I am going to tell you why I changed.

The Cool Crowd 

In today’s world if you don’t have a sports team you “rep” or bleed their team colors you are almost an outcast. People will look at you and think, how could you not have watched the game last night, it’s Monday Night Football, all of the country stops and watches Monday Night Football. And so, many men are swept up in the energy of the crowd when it comes to following sports and being fanatical about following a team or player. Again, I played the game, I dedicated real time, energy, sweat, blood, and yes even tears to playing sports. But something has occurred that concerns me. We have lost what it means to be a man. As a man you called to be a player on the field and also to cheer on those you admire. The problem I see facing so many men today, is that their whole existence, joy, and energy can be caught in being a fan for someone else’s team.

“They Don’t Even Know You Exist!”

“I bleed black and yellow”, “I am the biggest Steelrs fan out there.” These were statements I would proclaim often, and I was proud of these statements or I as I saw them accomplishments. I mean it takes a lot of time, energy, effort, stress and even money to be the “number one fan!” Then I remember my world being shaken by six simple words a mentor blurted into my life. This was before I became a husband, a father, and even before becoming a real entrepreneur. We were talking about my future and my future family, he was asking what I wanted to accomplish in my life, and somehow we started talking about football and the Steelrs came up. He saw how passionate I got and how I knew everything about the team. He asked, “why do you invest so much of your life into a team if they don’t even know you exist?” He shook my world that day and I have forever been changed. He was right, I was wasting my time, talents, and treasures as a fan of their dreams and aspirations and I forgot to play the game, the game of my life.

I Am The Biggest Fan Of My Team

I still am a Steelrs fan, but I am no longer their “biggest fan”, I no longer get physically ill when they lose and I know some of you might cringe at this but, sometimes I don’t even watch the game. I am now the biggest fan of MY LIFE, MY FAMILY, MY PURPOSE, MY DREAMS, AND MY VICTORIES. I wear the jersey that says, I am my daughter’s biggest fan! My jersey has my daughter’s dreams and goals written all over it. I am fanatical about learning who each of my daughters is. I want to know them on a deep level, I want to track their statistics, I want to know what brings them joy, what fad they are into right now, whether it be dogs, princesses, Spider-Man, or the babysitter club books. I am a player in my marriage, I work hard to win the MVH, which of course is the Most Valuable Husband award from my wife. I am not caught up in “fantasy football” . I live in the arena of real life. My time, talents, and treasures are now fully invested into ME! I am working diligently to be the best man, husband, and father I can be and I want to make a positive difference in this world, and sometimes I don’t have time to watch the game. 

I Dare You..

Men, if you are still reading this and have not been offended by my story or my words, then I want to challenge you, actually I want to dare you to:

1. Consider why you are so passionate about a team that doesn’t even know you exist?
2. Take account of the time, and money you spend for your sports team and ask yourself could you have invested it instead into you and your household? 
3. Evaluate if you bring the same level of intensity and passion you have when watching your team to your marriage, to being a dad, or even to improving your health or growing your business? 
4. I dare you not only to be a fan of someone else’s team, dreams, and victories. I dare you to be a fanatic for YOUR TEAM!!! Your dreams, your goals, your life, your relationships, your faith, your marriage and your kids!
5. I dare you to join the few men who are bold enough to say I love the game, I love sports, but I love my life more. Join our HeRose Challenge Facebook group. We come together to talk about the game of life and we help each man play at his very best. Are you up for the challenge?