This post has been sponsored by Ozarka Natural Spring Water in support of Southlake Carroll High School football.
When Football Becomes a Family Tradition
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If you can’t tell from this video Texans love football!
This was a difficult fact for me to accept being born and raised here. Growing up, sports was just not a part of my family. My dad “lettered” in tennis. My mom was in FFA (Future Farmers of America). And since college wasn’t a necessity in the 70’s, neither had a 4 year alma mater to cheer on. Between the two of them, competitive sports wasn’t a priority and therefore it never was either for me or my brother. We definitely felt like the odd men out in Texas!
It wasn’t until high school when I experienced my own version “Friday Night Lights” that I learned enough about the sport of football to finally be able to keep up with a game. Even then, it was slightly forced because I’d joined the LV Berkner High School marching band and color guard and was required to be there during half time.
Fast forward 15 years later. . .I’m now married to my husband who enjoys every sport under the sun (way too much in my opinion!) and no matter what the season, we’ll be watching whatever team happens to be on TV.
A few years ago, I finally agreed to learn one sport for the sake of our marriage and I chose basketball. It took almost 5 years of being season ticket holders to truly understand and appreciate the sport. Now I am proud to say I’m a Mavs Fan For Life, but that is all I have in me. I just don’t have the time or the energy to learn the in’s and out’s of yet another sport, so when Cowboys season comes around–I sulk, accept the fact that I’ll be ignored for three hours each week, and use the time to get caught up on chores.
But it appears, I’m once again the odd man out in my protests. Just today as we sat down for lunch, I turned to see my (almost) 4 year old and 22 month old memorized by the “blue” and “red” teams on the TV.
As I sat there watching my family, it was in that moment that I slowly began to realize there’s something bigger going on than just what’s happening on the field. (Or the court. Whatever it might be.) While they might be watching a game on TV, I’m watching the start of a tradition.
For my boys, years down the road, they’re almost guaranteed to have memories of sitting in the living room with their dad cheering on the Cowboys, Rangers, or Mavs. But odds are they won’t remember who they were playing or what the score was, but that tradition of being in the same space together as a family. And that’s what’s important.
As they get older, the tradition might change from watching at home to being at the games cheering on their favorite teams, or even dad and mom in the stands cheering them on, but the familiarity of being together is the tradition my husband is building with our family.
And while I may never full appreciate (or enjoy) most sports that will be a part of our new tradition, I’m proud to stand behind 100 percent!
Ozarka Natural Spring Water also stands behind traditions! For over 100 years, Ozarka has come from carefully selected Texas springs including Piney Woods Spring in Wood County, Moffit Spring in Walker County, and Roher Spring in Henderson, and has remained true to its Texas roots being only sold in Texas.
And this year, Ozarka has started a new tradition with the start of the high school football season. Ozarka has partnered with and supports the Southlake Carroll High School football program as the official bottled water of their Dragon Stadium! To help celebrate, they have launched the “Taste the Texas Tradition” campaign celebrating the many football traditions, from tailgating to victory celebrations. They are encouraging you to share your favorite football traditions with them on Twitter or Facebook using #TexasTradition and #H2Ozarka.
Visit Ozarka Water on Facebook or follow @OzarkaSpringWtr to find out more! Then, enter to win our giveaway where one reader can will a year’s supply of Ozarka Natural Spring Water.
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