by Joe Davis

(Image via ethnicsalarms.com)

It’s that time of year again, where optimism rings through this country from end to end. Whether it’s Washington DC or Washington State, Boston to Los Angeles, football fans believe that THIS is the year that their team will win it all. From little league to the NFL, you won’t find a fan that thinks that their team has no chance to Win a championship. This is why football is America’s game. In the NFL the new draft pick or free agent signing gives a team that finished in last place a feeling of hope. In college that new recruiting class or spring practice has the university believing that a conference championship is within grasp. Even at the high school level, the 15 year old kid that had a 6 inch growth spurt has the school with state championship dreams.

So how realistic are your teams’ chances in winning the ultimate prize? 3% chance if you are talking the NFL. 0.8% chance of winning the national championship. On lower levels the odds are even greater, where there may be over 2,000 schools in a state, all competing for a state title. And that’s what makes it great. Even with these amazing odds, we still believe that our team will win the championship THIS year (Full disclosure; I am a Dallas Cowboys fan and I still believe that if everything breaks right, we can win it all). The passion that we as football fans show for our sport is awesome.  Now I’m not here to compare with other sports (partly because it’s not even close); just to uplift my sport. From programs that are perennial contenders to that dark horse that has never been in a championship game, the passion is the same. THIS IS OUR YEAR. WE ARE GOING TO BEAT OUR RIVALS. WE WILL WIN IT ALL.

So as training camps continue to open in the next couple of weeks, our optimism may begin to fade. This dude has a season ending injury. This guy hasn’t progressed as much as we would like. Why isn’t the newer player as good as he was hyped? Many dreams will get crushed. Some will be delayed. And a few will be sidetracked. It makes the ultimate prize that much greater when we finally reach it. Enjoy your teams’ season for all of the ups and downs that are sure to follow.

Joe Davis of Sideline to Sideline, for War Room Sports