Jennifer R. Bernstein is a Seattle-based writer and co-founder of The New Inquiry. She has written essays and criticism for LitHub, Brooklyn Magazine, The Hairpin, The Stranger, and elsewhere. She lives on Twitter @jenniferrenu.
The question is: Must we oust dear old Dad in order to come into our own in a changing football landscape? Or do we respect the ultimate authority of the pater familias, who, after all, has carried us through decades of relative glory?
League standings are posted online and we study them religiously. It’s not clear why. There are no prizes for winning, not even, frankly, any measure of pride. Each twelve-game season folds seamlessly into the next, making a years-long comedy of lofted misfires, keeping gaffes, and defensive breakdowns. Mostly we win.